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The Cemetery Club

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Contributed by: Ingrid Mcdonald on 5/30/2008

The cemetery club. It conjures up a lot of thoughts and questions. Who are they? What do they do? Do I have to be dead to be a member?
First of all, you are not required to have passed from this world to become a member. This club is for the living. Living members make better cookies and conversation. We are the Evergreen Cemetery Benevolent Society and we are here for the living and the dead.
Who are we? We are a group of volunteers of various ages that come together through a common concern for the care of the plots and stones and gathering the stories of the residents. We are not all old women with buns on our heads. We are not into the morbid or the grotesque. We do love to have fun but not at the expense of anyone's loved ones. We are concerned with the lack of respect for the stones and monuments as many are being toppled. Parents allow their children to damage trees, pull plants dedicated to others plots, and permit them to simply run wild with no supervision. Don't get me wrong, we love visitors and you will never hear the residents complain. The concern we have is that the lack of respect taught by some will be fostered to younger generations who will show no respect. Some stones have been broken with objects or have been painted in
black. Others have come to the cemetery believing it is okay to conduct rituals on the graves of others, leaving candle waxes, salts, and broken glass. We could tell you stories that would curl your hair.
What do we do? We are in a constant process of earning funds so we can attend various accredited training classes to repair stones and monuments without causing further damage. This is costly and most classes are located on the east coast. We are a non profit group. Each class costs approx. $1500. per person not including travel. Then there are the expenses of supplies. If the repairs that are needed aren't done right, future generations will not be able to view the stones. Specialized mortars and epoxies need to be applied. Cement can not absorb or shed water, as the stone it is used to repair does. We owe it to the families and the community to do this work with the future in mind and do no more harm.
With many cemeteries of this century going to no above ground monuments or headstones, Evergreen cemetery is still unique.
We put on various events throughout the year to raise these funds. An annual Murder Mystery fundraising dinner, annual Memorial Day event, and an annual walking tour in September are all examples of tried and true yearly offerings. We offer educational opportunities for schools and private tours for visitors. We have conducted many tours for visitors in the old chapel, which has a great history of it's own. Last October we hosted two shows of old horror classics in the chapel. This year we hope to have three weekends of old movies such as the 1930s Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and more. We are presently preparing to officially open an office in the small building by the chapel. Once open, we will be able to assist in the location of graves, announcement boards for events and current projects, newsletters, and even gifts. We hope to speak to as many visitors as possible and even have some impromptu English teas on the lawn where the public is always welcome. We may also "pop up" in Manitou at the Miramont Castle, or take a ride on the Cog railway in costume.
All of the board members donate not only a large amount of time but our own money to putting on events for the public. We all have full time jobs outside of the cemetery and none of us are compensated monitarily for our efforts.We do it because we have a passion for the work. We are, so far, the only paid members of the society. We hope to find people who have similar interests that want to join. A membership for a single person is $25. and $50. for a family, no matter the number. We love to interact with the public.
Most people don't realize that Evergreen Cemetery has over 90,000 souls within it's gates. This does not include the Jewish section as that is privately owned. Each of those souls, buried from 1860s to the present, have stories. Each time I look at a stone I wonder who that person was. What was their life like and where did they come from? All pioneers in Colorado came from somewhere else. Do they still have family here? Would those families be willing to share the stories with us?
We, the board members, have done exhaustive research on people that are buried here. Many have no family left here to care for their plots nor to share those memories. We wish to share some of those stories with present day residents and visitors. Stories from family members and friends have more value than newspaper accounts or books written well after their deaths. These stories will be archived and saved to be shared with visitors doing genealogical searches or to share to keep the memories of those souls alive. Everyone has a story. Everyone, no matter their status in society, was important. Everyone contributed to this community in one way or another and I can promise you that there are others out there who would love to hear those stories too.
We hesitate to represent residents who are newly passed as this could cause discomfort for any family members still alive. Did any of you know that we have suffragettes buried here,a state senator, many millionaires, the first woman hack driver, freed slaves, criminals, and homesteaders from as far away as Elbert and Yoder. The cemetery at one time was segregated and there is a Potter's field.
Please visit www.evergreencemeterysociety.com as we post pictures of events and announce future events and programs of interest. We offer a free monthly newsletter for paid members. We are happy to advertise services of sponsors that work with us or businesses that donate supplies. We are a 501(C)(3) non profit charity. We would love to meet you and have you join our "Cemetery Club".

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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments

Submitted By: Sami Griffin

posted on 6/1/2008 @ 3:31:58 PM

Rated Story

Thank you for bringing the cemetery to "life". Sami Griffin

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Submitted By: Clint Ingram

posted on 5/31/2008 @ 2:25:53 PM

Rated Story

This is a great story. I hope this will inform people about the importance of what the Evergreen society does to help keep the rich heritage and history of the people buried at Evergreen Cemetery.

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Submitted By: Dianne Hartshorn

posted on 5/30/2008 @ 9:12:41 PM

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Excellent story Ingrid. As a paid member of the society I am thrilled that my funds are going toward keeping our history alive. Evergreen Cemetery Benevolent Society is much more than a cemetery group, as we take the time research people are buried there and strive to represent them authenticially. I hope other members of the community realize how important the "cemetery club" is and become members.

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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments

CONTRIBUTOR INFO

Ingrid Mcdonald

colorado springs , CO

Ingrid Mcdonald has posted 19 stories and 51 comments since joining on 5/30/2007. Ingrid Mcdonald 's average story rating is 5.

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