Did you know that the Original Phoenix Township (OPT) Cemetery was moved? The “Old City Cemetery” was between 5th and 7th Avenues, Jackson to Madison Streets. By 1884, it was considered unsightly and too close to the growing business district.
Ed Dobbins, one of our historians at the PCA, has shared the following in several talks:
"The new City/Loosley Cemetery in the current Pioneer and Military Memorial Park was opened in October 1884. It took three and one-half years to complete the transfer of burials from the old cemetery to the new in early 1888. We do not know the exact number of burials that were moved but Enrique Garfias was credited with exhuming 295 graves and John R. Loosley was reimbursed almost $700 for expenses he incurred removing an unspecified number of remains.
John R. Loosley, owner of Loosely Cemetery, contributed to the clearing of the OPT through newspaper advertisements appealing to the families and friends of those buried in the old cemetery. He offered liberal terms for lots in his new cemetery while informing the public of “the contemplated removal of occupants of the old cemetery to the city Potter’s field.” The grouping of pre-1884 graves in the northwest part of Loosley Cemetery may be evidence of responses to his advertisements. OPT burials were relocated to Blocks II, III, VI and X which were areas also favored for contemporary burials in the earliest years of the cemetery.
After three years of discussions and proposals, the city in
late 1887 decided to use its own employees to clear the OPT. Much of the work
was accomplished in January 1888 by a crew supervised by Enrique Garfias, the first city marshal of Phoenix, serving at the time as City Zanjero. In April 1888 the
OPT cemetery was declared cleared."
Stay tuned!!! Who were the "original residents" of the old cemetery that were moved? Find out here at Behind the Epitaph!
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