Evergreen Cemetery
Details
Establishedc.1850
Location
Santa Cruz, California
CountryUnited States
Coordinates36°58′51″N 122°02′08″W / 36.98083°N 122.03556°W / 36.98083; -122.03556
TypePublic
Find a GraveEvergreen Cemetery
Evergreen Cemetery gate in Santa Cruz

Evergreen Cemetery is a public cemetery located on Evergreen Street in Santa Cruz, California and was established in the 1850s.[1] Since 2008, the Evergreen Cemetery is under the management of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH).[2]

About

The Evergreen Cemetery is built on 8 acres of land, and features wrought iron fences around some family grave sites.[3] It is located near Harvey West Park.

The cemetery is divided into five sections including the Grand Army of the Republic; the Freemasons; the main section; the "evergreen extension" added in the 1940s; and the Chinese section (due to the anti-Chinese sentiment, which led to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882).[3] The Chinese section of the cemetery allowed for traditional Chinese funerals featuring firecrackers, processions and a Chinese oven-onsite for food served.[1] The Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History oversaw the construction of a Chinese gate in 2014, to honor those buried.[4] The Grand Army of the Republic section, was created by a fraternal organization of the American Civil War veterans honoring those who fought to end slavery and supported the Union.[1]

This cemetery is said to be haunted.[5][6]

History

The land for Evergreen Cemetery was a gift from the Imus family.[7] An early burial at this cemetery was a baby named Julia Arcan, who died in Death Valley in 1850.[5] Some say the first burial was in 1858, when Harry Speel fell off a cliff at what is now called Cowell Beach.[3][7]

In 1955, there was a Christmas flood and it left the cemetery in poor shape, and over time the cemetery was with overgrown plants and toppled gravestones.[1][8] In 1973, Renie Leaman led an effort to restore the cemetery.[1]

Notable burials

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Gibson, Ross Eric (2020-09-06). "Evergreen Cemetery: The act of remembering". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  2. ↑ Isaacson, Joel (December 28, 2008). "Old Holy Cross Cemetery suffers from vandalism". Santa Cruz Sentinel.
  3. 1 2 3 Chase, John; Gregory, Daniel Platt (2005). The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture. Kestrel Press. ISBN 978-0940283145.
  4. ↑ Dunn, Geoffrey (2019-07-10). "The Hidden Legacy of Santa Cruz's Chinatown". Good Times Santa Cruz. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  5. 1 2 "A Haunting Tour of Evergreen Cemetery Spooks Locals". Santa Cruz, CA Patch. 2011-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  6. ↑ Porter, Maryanne (2016). Haunted Santa Cruz, California. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1439657881.
  7. 1 2 Bliss, Traci; Brown, Randall (2020). Evergreen Cemetery of Santa Cruz. The History Press. ISBN 978-1467143868.
  8. ↑ "Breathing New Life Into Santa Cruz's Cemetery for Everyone". 90.3 KAZU. 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  9. ↑ Harrison, Edward Sanford (1892). History of Santa Cruz County, California. Pacific Press Pub. Co. pp. 310. History of Santa Cruz County, California
  10. ↑ "Imus, Hiram Abiff, Jr. (c. 1804–1876)". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
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