Evergreen Memorial Park & Crematory is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

in the East Side neighborhood of

Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California Boyle Heights, historically known as Paredón Blanco, is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, located east of the Los Angeles River. It is one of the city's most notable and historic Chicano/Mexican-American communities and is known as a ba ...

. Evergreen has several prominent individuals of historical Southern California on its grounds. Many pioneers are interred here, names such as Bixby, Coulter, Hollenbeck, Lankershim, Van Nuys, and Workman. There are politicians, notably former

Mayors of Los Angeles In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

. The Garden of the Pines section of the cemetery is a memorial to Japanese

Issei is a Japanese-language term used by ethnic Japanese in countries in North America and South America to specify the Japanese people who were the first generation to immigrate there. are born in Japan; their children born in the new country are ...

pioneers.

History

Established on August 23, 1877, Evergreen is the oldest, and one of the largest, extant cemeteries in the city with over 300,000 interments. The section near 1st and Lorena streets was at one time a

potter's field A potter's field, paupers' grave or common grave is a place for the burial of unknown, unclaimed or indigent people. "Potter's field" is of Biblical origin, referring to Akeldama (meaning ''field of blood'' in Aramaic), stated to have been pu ...

. Evergreen is notable for never having banned

African-Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

from being buried at the cemetery. It has sections for Armenians, Japanese, and early white settlers, and a large section of Mexican graves.

Burials

Although Evergreen had established burial sites for different ethnicities, they were still segregated from one another. First-generation Japanese, called Issei, had established a burial site on the grounds. In 1949, a memorial for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was incorporated and remembered for the Japanese-American soldiers who had fallen during World War II. Every year during the Obon festival, families gather to keep up their relatives' tombstones and to visit the spirits.

Biddy Mason Biddy Mason (August 15, 1818 – January 15, 1891) was an African-American nurse and a Californian real estate entrepreneur and philanthropist. She was one of the founders of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, Calif ...

, nurse and philanthropist, was one of the well known figures to be buried at the cemetery, in 1891. There is a section called the “Showmen’s Rest” in which 400 carnival workers and circus performers are buried by a memorial that is decorated with a lion. It was established by the Pacific Coast Showmen’s Association in 1922. One presumed serial killer, Bertha Bielstein, at one time lay in Evergreen Cemetery; however she was buried under another name, Olga Miller. Bielstein came from an upper middle class family in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. She was suspected of killing her parents in their home and moving to Los Angeles after escaping from a mental institution. Later her identity was confirmed and her body was relocated back east.

Potter's field

In return for a zoning variance to permit the cemetery, the founders of Evergreen gave the City of Los Angeles a parcel of the proposed cemetery in 1877 for use as an indigent graveyard, often referred as a "

Potter's field A potter's field, paupers' grave or common grave is a place for the burial of unknown, unclaimed or indigent people. "Potter's field" is of Biblical origin, referring to Akeldama (meaning ''field of blood'' in Aramaic), stated to have been pu ...

." Ownership of the indigent cemetery passed from the City to the County of Los Angeles in 1917. At the time, it was clear the potter's field would have burial space for only a few more years. By 1924, burial space in the potter's field was exhausted and the county built a crematorium at the site, on the corner of Lorena and 1st streets, and began to cremate its indigent deceased. Evergreen Cemetery purchased most of the potter's field from the county in 1964. It then prepared the newly recovered parcel for burials by covering it with of compacted soil. Only the crematorium was retained by the county. In 2007, the cremated remains of over 1700 unclaimed bodies were buried in the cemetery.

Chinese in the potter's field

Until the Civil Rights era, racism barred the Chinese from burying their dead in most cemeteries, including Evergreen. The only place that allowed burial of Chinese persons was the city's potter's field. Unlike white indigents, who were buried at no charge, the Chinese had to pay US$10 (HK$78) to be interred. The Chinese community was allowed to utilize a corner of the potter's field and soon after, in September 1888, erected a shrine. Evergreen left the shrine in place when it purchased the potter's field from the county in 1964 and let it fall into disrepair over the years. The shrine and the land under it were eventually purchased by the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California in 1992 and restored soon after. It is now a registered historic monument. By the time the county took ownership of the potter's field in 1917, it was clear it was running out of space, so the Chinese community responded by purchasing land and in 1922 opening the Chinese Cemetery. The county saw this as an opportunity to extend the useful life of the potter's field. Norman Martin, Superintendent for the County Department of Charities, wrote to Chan Kai Sing, Secretary of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. In a letter, dated June 19, 1923, he wrote: "Recently your people established a new Chinese cemetery on East 1st Street, and it would be highly desirable if the bodies buried in the county cemetery could be transferred to your new location." Despite acknowledging there were 902 Chinese buried at the site, and that each grave had cost the Chinese US$10, Martin wanted the remains moved to the new cemetery and offered $2 per body as compensation, "The idea being that you would move all of the bodies as fast as practicable." During the summer of 2005, the

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), commonly branded as Metro, LA Metro, and L.A. Metro, is the state agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the transportation system in Los Angele ...

Metro construction workers widening First Street for the Metro L Line light rail extension uncovered the skeletal remains of 174 people buried near the south side of the Los Angeles County Crematorium, adjacent to Evergreen Cemetery. Archaeologists working for the agency determined that the excavation site was likely the Chinese section of the potter's field. The majority of the remains were Asian males found along with rice bowls, jade bracelets, Chinese burial bricks, Asian coins and opium pipes. The remains were buried inside Evergreen Cemetery, near the Chinese Shrine, and a memorial was dedicated on March 7, 2010.

Memorial Day

Since 1897, Evergreen has held festivities every Memorial Day. Veterans, activist groups and families enter the cemetery grounds. Military organizations are stationed at different places as the Veterans Drum Corps lead the way from the streets, and Medal of Honor wreaths are distributed to the gravesites. Sometimes guest speakers are invited to make speeches.

Jogging track

With only a few open areas in Boyle Heights, the Evergreen Jogging Path Coalition worked with city officials to bring together a fitness area to improve local health. In 2003, a 1.4 mile jogging track was completed, encircling the cemetery. The track has exercise stations, shade, and benches so people from around the metro area can exercise regularly. as part of the Eastside Access Project which assists in building easier paths to the metro stations and accessible tracks for fitness. The path was dedicated in the memory of local activist,

Lloyd Monserratt Lloyd Monserratt (December 2, 1966 – January 9, 2003), was an American political activist and Director of Constituent Services for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, where he trained a number of future La ...

. In 2016 it received new additions and updated facilities.

Notable interments

* Eddie Anderson (1905–1977), comedic actor, played Rochester, Jack Benny's valet * James Banning (1900–1933), pioneering African American aviator * Florence Barker (1891–1913), stage and silent film actress * Charlotta Bass (1874–1969), educator, publisher and civil rights activist *

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(1902–1962), actress *

Matthew "Stymie" Beard Matthew Beard Jr. (January 1, 1925 – January 8, 1981) was an American actor. As a child actor, he was most famous for playing Stymie in the '' Our Gang'' short comedy films of 1930–1935. The role was so well known that he adopted the name ...

(1925–1981), actor *

Jesse Belvin Jesse Lorenzo Belvin (December 15, 1932 – February 6, 1960) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter popular in the 1950s. Belvin co-wrote the 1954 Penguins' doo-wop classic " Earth Angel", which sold more than 10 million copies, while h ...

(1932–1960), singer and songwriter * Jotham Bixby (1831–1917), father of Long Beach *

Frank Braxton Frank Cavalier Braxton Jr. (March 31, 1929 – June 1, 1969) was an African-American animator and director active in the early 1950s to the late 1960s. He was one of the first black animators hired by both Disney and Warner Bros. Life Career F ...

(1929–1969), pioneering African-American animator and director *

Kate Brousseau Kate Brousseau (April 24, 1862 – July 8, 1938) was an American professor and researcher on mental hygiene, chair of the Psychology Department at Mills College. Early life Kate Brousseau was born on April 24, 1862, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, daugh ...

(1862–1938), chair of the Psychology Department at

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(1902–1953), actor *

Donaldina Cameron Donaldina Cameron (July 26, 1869 – January 4, 1968) was a New Zealand-born American Presbyterian missionary who was a pioneer in the fight against slavery in San Francisco's Chinatown, who helped more than 2,000 Chinese immigrant girls and wom ...

(1869–1968), social reformer * Charles A. Canfield (1848–1913), pioneer oilman in California and Mexico.''Dark Side of Fortune''
/ref> * Alonzo "Lonnie" Clayton (1876–1917), youngest jockey to ever win the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

. *

Pearlretta DuPuy Pearlretta Weller Severance DuPuy (June 27, 1871 – April 27, 1939) was a noted zither player, and later she became a member of the San Pedro Woman's Club, in addition to being a lecturer and Parliamentarian (consultant), parliamentarian. Early l ...

(1871–1939), musician. * Mary Foy (1862–1962), first female head librarian of the Los Angeles Public Library * Katherine Grant (1904–1937), silent film actress *

John Strother Griffin John Strother Griffin (1816–1898) was a surgeon attached to the General Stephen W. Kearney expedition from New Mexico to California, a landowner and founder of East Los Angeles and a member of the Common Council of the city of Los Angeles, wh ...

(1816–1898), pioneer physician and the founder of East Los Angeles * LtC John Franklin "Frank" Godfrey (1839–1885), Civil War veteran, Indian Wars veteran, Los Angeles city attorney in 1876. *

Joe Hayashi Joe J. Hayashi (August 14, 1920 – April 22, 1945) was a United States Army soldier. "Hayashi, Joe," pp. 9–10 [PDF 13 of 44/nowiki>">DF 13 of 44"> "Hayashi, Joe," pp. 9–10 [PDF 13 of 44/nowiki> retrieved 2012-12-7. See also *List of Me ...

(1920–1945), Medal of Honor recipient *Henry T. Hazard (1844–1921), 28th Mayor of Los Angeles *John Edward Hollenbeck (1829–1885), businessman and investor who was involved in the 19th century development of Los Angeles and of Nicaragua *[ harles Price Jones (1865–1949), minister, composer and founder of the Church of Christ (Holiness) *

Isaac Lankershim Isaac Lankershim (April 8, 1818/19/20 – April 10, 1882) was a German-born American landowner and pioneer in California. He was the owner of 60,000 acres in Los Angeles County, California. Early life Sources from during his life vary on Lankersh ...

(1818–1882), German-born American landowner and pioneer in California *

Gilbert W. Lindsay Gilbert William Lindsay (November 29, 1900 – December 28, 1990), also known as Gil Lindsay, was a Los Angeles, California, politician who worked his way up from City Hall janitor to become the city's first black City Council member and one of i ...

(1900–1990), Los Angeles City CouncilmanSmith, Doug and Menezes, Ryan (November 28, 2014
"Evergreen Cemetery is awash in history, and drowning in blight"
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Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' *

Biz Mackey James Raleigh "Biz" Mackey (July 27, 1897 – September 22, 1965) was an American catcher and manager in Negro league baseball. He played for the Indianapolis ABCs (1920–1922), New York Lincoln Giants (1920), Hilldale Daisies (1923–1931), ...

(1897–1965), Baseball Hall of Famer of the Negro leagues * Bridget "Biddy" Mason (1818–1891), former slave, nurse, real estate entrepreneur * Tōyō Miyatake (1896–1979), photographer and documenter of the

Japanese American internment Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

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(1922–1945), Medal of Honor recipient * Kiyoshi K. Muranaga (1922–1944), Medal of Honor recipient * Bobby Nunn (1925–1986), singer *

Jimmie Noone Jimmie Noone (April 23, 1895 – April 19, 1944) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader. After beginning his career in New Orleans, he led Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra, a Chicago band that recorded for Vocalion and Decca. Classical ...

(1895–1944), clarinetist * Samuel Marshall Perry (1836–1898), Los Angeles City councilman and County supervisor * William Hayes Perry (1832–1906), lumber baron, first president of

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* Frederick Madison Roberts (1879–1952), California Assemblyman *

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(1870–1922), religious leader * Edward F. Spence (1832–1892), 25th Mayor of Los Angeles *

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(1890–1966), musician * Dora A. Stearns (1883–1942), ran for State Senator in 1923 * Ted T. Tanouye (1919–1944), Medal of Honor recipient * Cameron E. Thom (1825–1915), 24th Mayor of Los Angeles, co-founder of Glendale, California * James R. Toberman (1836–1911), 19th and 23rd Mayor of Los Angeles * Misak Torlakian (1892–1968), assassin of Behbud Khan Javanshir * Benjamin Cummings Truman (1835–1916), writer * Hsi Tseng Tsiang (1899–1971), writer of novels, poetry, and plays, self-trained actor *

Isaac Newton Van Nuys Isaac Newton Van Nuys (; November 20, 1836 – February 12, 1912) was an American businessman, farmer and rancher who owned the entire southern portion of the San Fernando Valley—an area 15 miles long and 6 miles wide. With the approach of ...

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(1936–1984), actor * Phillip Walker (1937–2010), electric blues guitarist * Kenny Washington (1918–1971), professional American football player *

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(1841–1938), 2nd president of USC, co-founder of Church of the Nazarene * Boyle Workman (1868–1942), politician and businessman, son of William H. Workman * William H. Workman (1839–1918), 26th Mayor of Los Angeles *

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References

External links

* {{Find a Grave cemetery
Chinese burials at KCET-TV online
Cemeteries in Los Angeles Boyle Heights, Los Angeles History of Los Angeles 1877 establishments in California 19th century in Los Angeles