Wed, Jul 29, 2020
People of Evergreen: William Blackburn
Get to know William Blackburn – Santa Cruz judge and businessman buried at Evergreen Cemetery.
Evergreen Cemetery
Jump to
Explore the resting place of those who built Santa Cruz County.
261 Evergreen Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
An Inspiring Place
Created in 1858, the Evergreen Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in California. Located next to Harvey West park in Santa Cruz, Evergreen is the final resting place for gold prospectors, artists, Chinese immigrants, mountain men, Yankees, Civil War veterans, lawyers, Masons, infants, travelers, and more.
A museum of the people who made Santa Cruz what it is today, Evergreen is managed and maintained by the MAH and a dedicated group of volunteers. Set inside a forested hillside, Evergreen is free to visit from sunrise to sundown, 7 days a week.
The below video The Restoration of Evergreen Cemetery won the Spirit of Action award at the 2022 Santa Cruz Film Festival.
Take a Tour
Take a Self Guided Tour
Follow the map on this self-guided walking tour to learn more about the people behind Santa Cruz County's history.
View or Download the Tour
Get Involved
Check out the ways you can conduct research to find relatives, learn more about local history, and share your knowledge.
Museum Archive. The Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History has a historical archive that contains all the material we have on those buried at Evergreen Cemetery. To visit the archive, call 831.429.1964 to schedule an appointment. Future plans for the archive include making documents available online.
Find A Grave. You can search plot records online for persons buried in Evergreen Cemetery. This is a free service.
Ancestry.com. Evergreen Cemetery maintains a tree on Ancestry.com. Please visit our tree or contact us by email for further details.
Evergreen Roster. Our roster is dynamic and changes each year. You can access it here. This list reflects our research to date. For changes, updates, and/or editions, please contact the Museum of Art and History.
Researchers Anonymous. A program of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History for people interested in general Santa Cruz County history. Meets monthly. Learn more.
Evergreen Headstone Project. Our goal is to provide headstones for all of the individuals known to be buried at Evergreen Cemetery; your participation will help bring that about as well as honor your ancestors.
Volunteer at Evergreen Cemetery
Join a team of amazing, weekly volunteers who help maintain one of the oldest public cemeteries in California, Evergreen Cemetery. Swing by to help with basic gardening like pulling weeds and clearing walkways, all while discovering Santa Cruz County History. Gloves and tools are provided. Explore the grounds. Meet other local history buffs. Discover more about the people who made Santa Cruz what it is today. No need to RSVP, just stop by ready to work.
Every Friday, 9:30am-12:30pm
Stay in Touch
Join the Evergreen Cemetery Facebook Group to stay in the loop on upcoming workdays, projects, and ask questions to a group of other local history lovers.
Then, be sure to sign up for MAH emails to be the first to know about upcoming events, book launches, and ways you can get involved in more local art and history happenings.
Resources for Educators
We recently launched free, downloadable lesson plans for local educators. Check out all six options, including the two below that relate directly to Evergreen Cemetery.
Tombstone Tales from Evergreen Cemetery
3rd-5th & 6th-8th Grade | Understand the large impacts early settlers had in shaping Santa Cruz County through interactive activities and discussions. Download the Lesson Plan
London Nelson: A Will to Educate
3rd-5th Grade | Learn about London Nelson and the lasting legacy he left behind in Santa Cruz County. By introducing assignments, discussions, and activities around slavery, you will gain a sense of empathy regarding Nelson’s life. Download the Lesson Plan
Support Evergreen
Make a Donation Today
Please note on the form that you want your donation to go directly to supporting Evergreen Cemetery.
Donate
Chinatown is in the Heart
A 17-foot Chinese memorial gate was installed in 2014 at Evergreen Cemetery to honor Santa Cruz’s early Chinese immigrants–fishermen, railroad workers, servants and farm laborers. The gate, commissioned by the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, was privately funded by former Chinatown resident George Ow Jr.
“In Chinese folklore, if something is not settled during a lifetime, you have hungry ghosts, like angry spirits,” said Ow. “By acknowledging these spirits, we’re kind of like feeding them.”
Contractor Tom Ralston collaborated with local historians Sandy Lydon and Geoffrey Dunn, former Chinatown resident George Ow Jr., and museum volunteer Sibley Simon to design the gate.
On the Blog
Wed, Jan 15, 2020
100 Year Old Arch Restored at Evergreen
Installed by the Newcomb Family in 1920, the historic arch has now been restored by the Newcomb Family hundred years later.
Wed, Jul 8, 2020
The People of Evergreen: The Arcan Family
Uncover the stories of the people buried in Evergreen Cemetery like the Arcan Family who traveled to Santa Cruz during the gold rush.
Tue, Sep 29, 2020
People of Evergreen: Mary Amney Case
Get to know Mary Amney Care, the woman who founded the first English public school in Santa Cruz in 1848.
Sun, Mar 20, 2022
Cemetery as Public Space: Breathing Life into Evergreen
Read a note from Executive Director Robb Woulfe about how the MAH continues to redefine and reimagine the hallowed grounds of Evergreen Cemetery.
Evergreen in Print
First in a series of Evergreen Cemetery Mysteries, Buried Star: Ghosts in the Gulch explores the life of AJ Sloan. The story straddles the history of Sloan exploring Santa Cruz amidst serious intrigue, and a couple in the future who are set on discovering his past. This is a “time-warping” ghost story that digs deep into the history of the central coast– and Evergreen’s a central character. Buy it on Amazon here, and at Bookshop Santa Cruz here.
Evergreen Cemetery got a mention in a local book, 228 Interesting, Odd, Beautiful & Historic Things to See in Santa Cruz County. The book, available at Bookshop Santa Cruz, was written by long-time residents Steven Bignell and Susan Bruijnes and published by Journeyworks Publishing.
Created in 1858, the Evergreen Cemetery provided a final resting place for a multitude of Santa Cruz's adventurers, entrepreneurs, and artists. Join Traci Bliss and Randall Brown as they bring to life the tragedies and triumphs of the diverse men and women interred at Evergreen Cemetery. Purchase the Publication
Reference Material: Evergreen Plot Maps
Preserve This Historical Landmark
Donate to the MAH to help fund preservation projects, events, and research at Evergreen Cemetery.