Richard Heath
The grave of Firefighter Michael Kennedy in the Fireman's Lot at Forest Hills Cemetery.
The remains of Firefighter Michael Kennedy rest near those of 15 other Boston firefighters who died in the line of duty and are buried in the Fireman's Lot at Forest Hills Cemetery.
Kennedy perished in last week's nine-alarm blaze at a Back Bay brownstone. It has been a week of mourning in Boston as thousands of firefighters from across the country came to honor Kennedy and Lt. Ed Walsh. While Walsh's family picked a burial plot in his native Watertown, Kennedy's family chose the Fireman's Lot.
The city of Boston bought the lot in December 1857. A bronze monument of a contemplative firefighter was added in 1909. For much more on the history of the lot, please read this story by Walter Marx at the Jamaica Plain Historical Society's website. The city web site offers this history of the plot, but it isn't clear who wrote it.
Also worth a read is the Globe's story of the cemetery workers who dug Kennedy's grave.
If you'd like to visit to pay your respects, the Fireman's Lot is on a bee-line between the Walk Hill Street gate and Lake Hibiscus. It's marked by the letter "Q" on this map ( PDF.)