Oliver Wendell Holmes Day in Cambridge

Bigelow Chapel - Mount Auburn Cemetery - Cambridge MA

This Saturday is going to be a busy day – the Camera Obscura in Somerville in the afternoon and in the morning – it’s the 200th birthday celebration for Oliver Wendell Holmes. 

Physician, poet, professor, and writer, Holmes was part of the literary scene in Cambridge and Boston and his friends included Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and James Russel Lowell.  On a side note – if you haven’t read Matthew Pearl’s mystery novel, The Dante Club, in which Holmes and his poet friends are major characters, you’re in for a treat.

The City of Boston and the City of Cambridge have declared Saturday, August 29th Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Day.

Holmes was born in Cambridge and is buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery.  On Saturday several events are planned at Mount Auburn.  There will be a performance with Dr. Holmes portrayed by actor Wendell Refior and a lecture about Holmes by Dr. Charles S. Bryan.  A wreath will be laid at Holmes’ grave.

The ceremony takes place at the Bigelow Chapel in Mount Auburn Cemetery on Saturday, August 29, 2009 from 10 am to noon.

 Where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.
Oliver Wendell Holmes

Categories: Area Events
Tags: Literary Landmarks in Cambridge

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 at 11:51 pm and is filed under Area Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1. Matthew Pearl said at August 26th, 2009 at 8:08 am

   Hi Elizabeth, thanks for mentioning The Dante Club! I wish I could be there Saturday, but will be out of town. Glad OWH is getting his due.

   Best wishes, Matthew

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