The Forest Hills Cemetery

What The Forest Hills Cemetery does

Forest Hills Cemetery is a privately held, historic garden cemetery founded in 1848 in Boston, Massachusetts, operating across 275 acres that serve simultaneously as an active burial ground, arboretum, open-air museum, and public greenspace. The company offers traditional burial services (gravesites, family lots, crypts, mausoleum spaces), cremation services (in-ground burial, outdoor and indoor columbarium niches, scattering gardens, the Fern Hill Cremation Garden, and the Chapel of Grace cremation urn columbarium starting at $2,750 per niche), pre-need planning with interest-free monthly payment plans, and chapel rentals across two 19th-century chapels (Forsyth Chapel, capacity 100; Lucy Stone Chapel, capacity 120). The 2019 Dearborn Pavilion introduced 256 crypts and 384 niches as the cemetery's first community mausoleum, and the 2022 neoclassical redesign of Lucy Stone Chapel modernized the service infrastructure.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time sales of burial rights, cremation niches, crypts, and related interment services (opening/closing, outer burial containers, memorial foundations), with pre-need planning providing a recurring contracted-payment layer and chapel rentals offering an event-based revenue stream. Pricing is largely quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with only the Chapel of Grace columbarium price floor ($2,750) transparent. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via a single Boston office (95 Forest Hills Ave), supplemented by an in-person sales-led consultation model and a content-driven website. The Forest Hills Educational Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, runs cultural programming including self-guided scholar's tours, sculpture exhibitions, art installations, walking tours, and concerts, supporting brand and visitation but not core burial revenue.

The customer base is exclusively individual consumers and families, with no B2B or enterprise accounts. The company maintains affiliations with industry bodies including CANA, ICCFA, Massachusetts Cemetery Association, and New England Cemetery Association. No public funding, parent company, or institutional ownership is disclosed, and no AI, software platform, or proprietary technology underpins operations.

Name

The Forest Hills Cemetery

Legal name

Forest Hills Cemetery

Website

https://foresthillscemetery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1848

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forest Hills Cemetery is a privately held, 275-acre historic garden cemetery in Boston, MA, founded in 1848, offering traditional burial, cremation, mausoleum (Dearborn Pavilion), pre-need planning, and chapel rental services to individual families in Greater Boston.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cemetery and Memorial Services

NAICS

Cemeteries and Crematories (812220), Cemeteries and Crematories (81222)

akta.pro primary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Burial services
• Cremation services
• Cemetery services
• Pre-need planning
• Memorial services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Burial Services: Traditional burial options including gravesites, family lots, crypts, and mausoleum spaces. Revenue generated from purchase of burial spaces, opening and closing fees, outer burial containers, memorial foundations, and optional enhancements.
2. Cremation Services: Flexible cremation services including cremation burial, outdoor columbarium niches, indoor columbarium (Chapel of Grace), scattering gardens, and memorial tablets. The Fern Hill Cremation Garden offers outdoor columbarium, in-ground cremation burial, and scattering options.
3. Chapel of Grace Columbarium: Cremation urn columbarium with generously-sized niches featuring LED lighting, decorative urns, and framed photographs. Prices starting at $2,750.
4. Dearborn Pavilion: Boutique outdoor garden mausoleum opened in 2019 with 256 crypt spaces and 384 niche spaces for above-ground interment options.
5. Pre-Need Planning Services: Pre-planning services allowing customers to purchase cemetery-related services in advance with interest-free monthly payment plans, protecting against future cost increases.
6. Chapel Rental: Two historic chapels available for rental: Forsyth Chapel (seating 100) and Lucy Stone Chapel (seating 120) for memorial services, funerals, weddings, and concerts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Forest Hills Cemetery provides traditional burial services, cremation services (including in-ground burial, columbarium niches, and scattering gardens), and pre-need planning with interest-free monthly payment plans across its 275-acre historic grounds in Boston, MA. Specialty facilities include the Dearborn Pavilion garden mausoleum, Fern Hill Cremation Garden, Chapel of Grace indoor columbarium, and two historic chapels available for funeral, memorial, wedding, and concert rentals.

Product overview

Forest Hills Cemetery is a historic garden cemetery offering a comprehensive portfolio of burial and memorial services. The core offerings include traditional burial services, cremation services (with multiple options including in-ground burial, columbarium niches, and scattering gardens), and pre-need planning. The cemetery features specialized facilities including the Dearborn Pavilion (garden mausoleum with crypts and niches), Fern Hill Cremation Garden (outdoor columbarium with scattering areas), and Chapel of Grace (cremation urn columbarium). Additional services include two historic chapels (Forsyth Chapel and Lucy Stone Chapel), historic burial ground locations, and educational programs through the Forest Hills Educational Trust. The cemetery also offers cultural engagement through sculptures, exhibitions, and guided tours of its grounds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dearborn Pavilion: A boutique outdoor garden mausoleum named in honor of founder Henry A. S. Dearborn, featuring 256 crypt spaces and 384 niche spaces. Opened in 2019.
• Fern Hill Cremation Garden
• Chapel of Grace
• Forest Hills Educational Trust

Quantifiable outcome

• Active burial ground serving Boston area for over 175 years
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Cremation Association of North America (CANA)minorOthersAffiliated with the Cremation Association of North America, demonstrating commitment to cremation industry standards and practices.
• International Cemetery, Cremation & Funeral Association (ICCFA)minorOthersAffiliated with the ICCFA, an organization serving cemetery, cremation, and funeral professionals with resources and industry guidance.
• Massachusetts Cemetery AssociationminorOthersAffiliated with the Massachusetts Cemetery Association, the state-level organization representing cemetery interests in Massachusetts.
• New England Cemetery AssociationminorOthersAffiliated with the New England Cemetery Association, serving cemeteries across the New England region.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Service Corporation International: Largest North American funeral, cremation, and cemetery operator (NYSE: SCI), owning Dignity Memorial brand and hundreds of cemetery properties. Direct competitor for pre-need contracts in greater Boston and adjacent markets, with far greater scale and brand-recognition investment.
• StoneMor Partners: Publicly-traded multi-location cemetery and funeral services operator with hundreds of cemeteries across the U.S. Comparable in core burial/cremation product offering but operates at national scale, with more aggressive pre-need sales and financing infrastructure, competing for greater-Boston pre-need customers.
• NorthStar Memorial Group: Private equity-backed owner/operator of 200+ cemeteries and funeral homes across the U.S. Comparable in core services (burial, cremation, pre-need) but with national footprint and consolidated marketing/sales capabilities that pressure regional independents.

Direct peers

• Mount Auburn Cemetery: Historic 1831 garden cemetery in Cambridge, MA, sharing an identical business model (burial, cremation, arboretum, cultural programming) and target customer base in greater Boston. Founded by the same era's visionaries and the most direct comparability given shared geography, heritage positioning, and cultural-programming approach.
• Hollywood Forever Cemetery: Historic 1899 cemetery in Los Angeles operating as a burial ground and cultural venue with film screenings, concerts, and tours. Comparable business model that monetizes cultural programming alongside burial/cremation services, though serving a very different geographic market.
• Green-Wood Cemetery: 478-acre historic 1838 garden cemetery in Brooklyn, NY, operating as both an active burial ground and a cultural destination with art exhibitions, tours, and educational programs. Closely comparable in business model — burial/cremation services, historic prestige, and revenue from cultural programming — though at larger scale.
• Sleepy Hollow Cemetery: Historic 1855 cemetery in Concord, MA, with comparable New England heritage positioning, literary/notable burials (Thoreau, Emerson, Hawthorne), and tour-based cultural programming. Smaller in scale but similar in product mix and prestige-driven demand.
• Laurel Hill Cemetery: Historic 1836 garden cemetery in Philadelphia, PA, on the National Register of Historic Places, with comparable burial, cremation, and cultural-tour programming. Similar prestige positioning and revenue diversification beyond interment services.
• Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum: 733-acre historic 1845 garden cemetery in Cincinnati, OH, with comparable heritage positioning, arboretum operations, and active burial plus cultural programming. Similar service mix (burial, cremation, memorials) and comparable role as both a cemetery and a community greenspace.

Regional players

• Calvary Cemetery (Boston): Large Catholic Archdiocese-operated cemetery serving greater Boston, offering burial and cremation with religious heritage. Direct competitor in the same Boston market with similar land scale and prestige, though differentiated by religious affiliation and ownership structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forest-hills-cemetery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Forest Hills Cemetery