Fairview Cemetery (Santa Fe, New Mexico)

Fairview Cemetery
Fairview Cemetery
Location 1134 Cerrillos Road
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Coordinates 35°40′38″N 105°57′33″W / 35.67722°N 105.95917°WCoordinates: 35°40′38″N 105°57′33″W / 35.67722°N 105.95917°W
Area 4 acres (1.6 ha)
Built 1884
Architectural style Pueblo
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 04001517[1]
Added to NRHP January 20, 2005

Fairview Cemetery is a graveyard in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was for many years the only non-Catholic cemetery in the city. There are roughly 3,700 people buried there. The graveyard is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]

The graveyard was established in its current location during the 1880s by James T. Newhall and Preston H. Kuhn. As declared in the opening entry of the Fairview Cemetery Company minutes, "The necessity of having and maintaining a proper place for burial of the dead in the town of Santa Fe, N. M., being apparent, Mr. James T. Newhall and Mr. Preston H. Kuhn made an estimate of the amount that would be required for the purpose . . ." The oldest gravestones date to the 1860s, belonging to people who were originally buried in the Masonic and Odd Fellows graveyard which used to be in downtown Santa Fe. Most of these bodies were moved to Fairview during the period 1895 – 1901.

In recent years Fairview Cemetery has become notorious for its prairie dog infestation, which causes human remains and coffin pieces to sometimes be visible on the grounds.

The graveyard is now operated as a nonprofit organization by the Fairview Cemetery Preservation Association.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.

External links