Evergreen Cemetery (Santa Cruz, California)
Cemetery in Santa Cruz, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Evergreen Cemetery is a historic 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]
| Evergreen Cemetery | |
|---|---|
| |
 Interactive map of Evergreen Cemetery | |
| Details | |
| Established | c.1850 |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 36°58′51″N 122°02′08″W |
| Type | Public |
| Find a Grave | Evergreen Cemetery |
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]
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 overgrown with plants and toppled gravestones.[1][8] In 1973, Renie Leaman led an effort to restore the cemetery.[1]
Notable burials
- Isaac Graham (1800–1863), fur trader, mountain man, and land grantee
- Frank Lucien Heath (1857–1921), painter, and teacher[9][10]
- Lillian Dake Heath (1864–1961), painter, and teacher[10]
- Lucien Heath (1819–1888), farmer, merchant, and politician from Oregon[10][11]
- Hiram A. Imus Jr. (1804–1875), politician, member of the California State Assembly[12]
- Oliver Tree Nickell (1993–2026), singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, comedian, and filmmaker[13]
- W. D. Storey (1830–1914), English-born American judge, lawyer, and district attorney[14]
- Arthur A. Taylor (1849–1923) newspaper publisher and editor, published the Santa Cruz Surf newspaper[15]