Evergreen Cemetery | |
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Details | |
Established | c.1850 |
Location | |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 36°58′51″N 122°02′08″W / 36.98083°N 122.03556°W |
Type | Public |
Find a Grave | Evergreen Cemetery |
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]
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]
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]
History of Santa Cruz County, California