Forest Hills Cemetery

Forest Hills Cemetery is a garden cemetery and outdoor museum at 95 Forest Hills Ave in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood. Its 275 acres combine tree-lined paths, a lake, historic markers and tombs with elaborate sculptural details. You can walk the grounds to see the landscape and find notable graves, including those of poet E.E. Cummings and abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. Maps are displayed near the entrance, and a drive through the grounds can help you get your bearings before exploring on foot.

A garden cemetery in Jamaica Plain

Forest Hills Cemetery is a 275-acre active cemetery in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood. Its garden design brings together burial grounds, paths, trees and a lake, with the grounds also serving as an arboretum and open-air museum.

The Victorian-era cemetery is a quiet place to walk and look closely at its landscape and funerary architecture. Historic markers appear throughout the grounds, and the cemetery’s tombs include sculptural works of art. Miniature buildings and other sculptures were added as part of an exhibition in 2006.

Notable graves and finding your way

The cemetery is the resting place of several well-known figures, including poet E.E. Cummings, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, playwright Eugene O’Neill and poet Anne Sexton. If you have a particular grave in mind, use the maps near the entrance and ask at the office for a more precise location.

The grounds are large, and some markers on the maps cover an area with several graves. Smaller grassy paths are signposted, while the larger routes can be less clear. Cross-checking your route on a phone map can help you avoid getting turned around.