Places to Remember: Guidance for Inventorying and Maintaining Historic Cemeteries

Griffith, Carol; Sullivan, Michael

From introduction: "To help commemorate Arizona’s Centennial on February 14, 2012, a project was begun to inventory and promote the protection of historic cemeteries throughout the state. Historic cemeteries were chosen as the focus because they are important irreplaceable resources, many of which are in danger of being lost through neglect, natural erosion, and vandalism. Arizona’s historic cemeteries provide important information about the state’s people, communities, historical events, and traditions. They may be aesthetic, containing works of art in their grave markers, monuments and landscape design. Even the smallest and most desolate cemeteries have their own sense of beauty and reflect the nature of the historic community that created them. Cemeteries are also tranquil and spiritual. For living family members of the deceased, they are places of memories and reverence. Historic cemeteries are also the final resting places of the individuals who pioneered and built this state. These cemeteries often fall into disrepair and may even be vandalized once communities are abandoned and families of the deceased are no longer around to care for the graves (Figure 1). Individuals and groups interested in preserving these cemeteries may lack the guidance on proper preservation and maintenance techniques. Cemetery preservation efforts have ranged from the well-funded, researched, and properly directed to the well-intentioned but ultimately damaging activities (Figure 2). As the Arizona Centennial approached, it seemed appropriate that an organized statewide effort be undertaken to locate, inventory, and provide guidance for the repair and maintenance of these significant properties. The Inventory of Arizona Historic Cemeteries (IAHC) task force was formed to guide these activities. This group included the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the Pioneers' Cemetery Association (PCA), other statewide cemetery and genealogical associations, federal and state land managing agencies, a former state legislator, a city councilman, a representative of the Arizona Mortuary Association, and a numerous volunteers. The primary goal of the IAHC was to create an inventory of historic cemeteries in Arizona. Volunteers throughout the state mobilized to identify historic cemeteries and collect basic information for the inventory. For purposes of the inventory, historic cemeteries are defined as an individual or more graves that are at least 50 years old... A secondary goal of the IAHC was to develop written guidance to assist individuals, organizations, and property owners in maintaining, documenting, and conserving historical cemeteries. The purpose of this document is to provide that guidance. The document is organized into sections on the following topics: an overview of the history of cemeteries including national trends in the evolution of styles and Arizona’s adaptations of those styles; cemetery laws; recording and documenting cemeteries; planning maintenance, preservation and conservation treatments; and preservation resources and professionals. In preparing this document, the authors gleaned information from a number of sources that are referenced throughout the document. Anyone who is undertaking work in a historic cemetery is encouraged to review pertinent technical source documents for more detailed information and seek assistance from conservation professionals for more complex interventions." Funding was provided in part by a 2012 Historic Preservation Fund grant administered by the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (project number AZ-12-008, grant number 04-12-41909) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Places to Remember: Guidance for Inventorying and Maintaining Historic Cemeteries

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