Welcome to Wreath A Thon 2025!

 Over 1300 wreaths were laid this year for our annual  Wreaths Across American event at Evergreen Cemetery.

Although 1300 wreaths is a great number of wreaths it is only 1/3 of the number of wreaths needed for the over 3000 veterans  buried at Evergreen Cemetery.

We are already in the planning stages to ensure that all of our veterans are honored by 2026 in time for the celebration of 150 years of Colorado statehood and the 250 anniversary of the birth of our nation.

Volunteers painstaking spent over a year walking each and every block ensuring each veteran is recognized. Many of our veterans are not marked by the traditional military veterans marker. This research takes many hours as well as the time to physically confirm the location of the headstone and that the information is correct.

Evergreen Heritage benefits financially by the purchase of wreaths through our specific link. Although the name says Evergreen Cemetery Benevolent Society is the current title, our original name, we are in the process of having the page updated, so rest assured you are contributing to Evergreen Heritage. Funds from the Wreaths Across American payback are focused on the restoration needs/projects for the historic Evergreen Chapel, completed in 1910. 

Our cemetery, our chapel and our veterans need the support of the community of Colorado Springs to join us to ensure all of our veterans are recognized for their service to our country and our community.

Beginning in 2025, we are introducing  Wreath A Thon. Wreath a Thon is a way for businesses, groups etc to work with Evergreen Heritage as a partner in our sponsorship group to ensure we are able to recognize our veterans by purchasing a wreath but also to raise the funds to save our chapel!

Click The Image To Sponsor A Wreath (s) Today!

Evergreen and Fairview Cemetery Grave Decoration Rules

  SCHEDULED CLEAN UP DAYS ARE:

MARCH 1-15

NOVEMBER 1-15

Grave decoration rules are established for the safety of visitors and staff as well as to retain the beauty of the cemetery.

All grave decorations must be in an approved cemetery vase or within the confines of a monument base. This includes marble and stone vases permanently attached to the marker. 

Inexpensive plastic vases available at Walmart and Hobby Lobby are NOT allowed. In time, they also become hazards to the mowing and trimming crews.

Unauthorized, unsightly or past-season items may be removed by cemetery staff at any time and discarded, even in the vase. American flags that are torn, ragged, faded or touching the ground will also be removed.

THE CEMTERY IS A PUBLIC SPACE. PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING OF MONETARY OR SENTIMENTAL VALUE. THE CEMETERY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ITEMS STOLEN FROM THE GRAVES.

PLANTINGS:

Annual flowers may be planted within six inches to the east of the stone. This applies to upright stones only. There is no planting in front of flat stones.

No bushes, trees, vines or perennials may be planted on grave spaces.

No plantings are allowed around flat memorials or in flat memorial sections.

PROHIBITED ITEMS**

Temporary Markers or Home Made Markers-(temporary markers provided by a monument company while a regular marker is on order are allowed)

GLASS, CERAMIC OR CONCRETE VASES OR FIGURINES

WOOD

METAL SCULPTURES

SHEPHERD'S HOOKS

BANNERS

FLAGS OTHER THAN THE AMERICAN FLAG

FENCING OR BORDERS OF ANY KIND

SOLOR LIGHTS

BASKETS

SHELLS

ROCKS

LANTERNS

CANDLES

ARBORS & TRELLISES

The remaining historic rose trellises are exempt. No new trellis are allowed.

** Non-breakable items may be placed in approved cemetery vases.

 

ON SALE NOW! BEYOND THE GRAVE: MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN

 The fourth annual Beyond the Grave event is back for another amazing event. This year we are bringing to life Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a groundbreaking novel written in 1816 when Shelley was 18 years old. Often considered the first true science fiction novel, Frankenstein explores profound themes such as the dangers of unchecked scientific ambition, creation, and the complexities of human nature. The story was born out of a challenge between Mary Shelley, her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Lord Byron to write the best horror tale during a stay in Geneva. 

The novel was published in 1818 when Mary was only 20 years old, solidifying her legacy as a pioneering voice in Gothic literature.

CHANGES TO THIS YEAR'S EVENT: 

We have reduced the number of tickets available for each allotted time slot. Please purchase your tickets before they sell out!

Purchase Tickets Below Thur our Eventbrite Link. Tickets are only available thru this link. Do not purchase tickets from individuals selling online, this is a scam and your purchase will not be honored for our event. If you have any questions please email us:

Become A Volunteer and Save History

 We are seeking volunteers willing and able to get down, and back up, :) to help us with simple stone resets and cleaning. We are also looking for volunteers to help prune and trim the historic roses at Evergreen Cemetery, and help maintain the garden near the chapel.

If you are interested or would like to learn more about these opportunities, please join our email list to receive information and updates on cleaning and trimming events.

Save the Date: July 13th Saturday. Jon Appell of Atlas Preservation will be conducting a FREE restoration class. Join us and become part of the Cemetery Gang working to preserve the history at Evergreen and Fairview Cemeteries.

Click the Image Below To Join Our List

48 State Tour-July 13, 2024

 Evergreen Cemetery was selected as a site for the 48 State Tour conducted by Jon Appel of Atlas Preservation. Jon has visited our site in the past and we are so excited to have him return. 

This workshop is FREE and open to the public. If you ever considered volunteering to work with Evergreen Heritage and assist us in preserving the historic stones at Evergreen, this is the perfect opportunity to receive hands on training by an acclaimed expert in the field of gravestone restoration.

Please follow our Facebook Page for up to date information and joining our email list.

This is a link to Evergreen Heritage Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/EvergreenCemeteryBenevolentSociety

This is a link to the 48 State Event Page for Evergreen Cemetery.

https://www.facebook.com/events/687449766801021

2023 Year In Review

 We are so excited to share our Year In Review for 2023! To view full screen please click the square box at the top of the right hand corner of the page--Thank you!

Eiko Otake I invited myself collaboration with Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center

 You can’t really come to the cemetery and not think about death or the people who have died. We know more about living. But we all die. I thought that performing was my practice of dying. But the practice of dying is not dying. We learn about death by attending to other people’s dying. But we also learn about death by missing the dead. —Eiko Otake

In July, we hosted a unique Evergreen Cemetery. It was a true honor to showcase Eiko Otake and her captivating performance, "With The Dead," on the evening of July 8th.
Traditionally, our events revolve around historic reenactments. So when a globally renowned artist like Eiko expressed interest in bringing her performance to our historic cemetery, it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up!
Teaming up with the Fine Arts Center, an institution with strong ties to Evergreen Cemetery through many of its founding members resting in our grounds (a topic for another day), added an extra layer of significance of this community collaboration.
Eiko Otake, known for her artistic interpretation of death and the deceased, has traversed the globe, showcasing her unique perspective. The event not only introduced us to this remarkable artist but also provided an opportunity to open our doors—both literally and figuratively. Students and faculty from Colorado College, along with members of the Fine Arts Center, joined in on the presentation, for many marking their inaugural visit to our serene cemetery.

A personal highlight of the evening was the chance to meet and converse with Harry Weil of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY. Green-Wood is renowned for embracing the rural cemetery movement that gained popularity in the mid-1880s. As Green-Wood is undoubtedly a "bucket list" cemetery, sharing the beauty and history of Evergreen Cemetery with Harry was, for me, the pinnacle of the evening.
I dance thinking about the recent dead, and the dead from the past centuries, including many whose graves were never built. —Eiko Otake

A Visit with General Palmer and Queen

On January 28th, at the Steeple Center, Bob Stovall and I had the delightful opportunity to portray William Jackson Palmer and his wife Queen Palmer for the Canon City Public Library Chautauqua program.

Growing up in my hometown of Canon City, it was a pleasure to stand on stage and share the history of Colorado Springs with my friends and the wonderful audience in attendance.

General Palmer played a crucial role in the development not only of Colorado Springs but also across the entire Front Range of Colorado and parts of Northern New Mexico.

Evergreen Cemetery Pioneer Pollinator Garden

 For the last several years I have tended  my own pollinator garden(s) at home. I've slowly added sections of my yard that are now home to numerous species of bees, butterflys and hummingbirds. 

This year we decided that the "forgotten" area of Evergreen Cemetery aka Pauper's field deserves a new lease on life.

Instead of forgotten and untended this section in the far south east corner of the cemetery, the final resting place to over 1200 souls is breathing new life as 

The Evergreen Cemetery Pioneer's Pollinator Garden.

This June, my friend Brenda and I had seeded the entire section over two very wet June Saturday mornings. Over $500 of Colorado Native Wildflower seeds were sown amongst the wild grasses, cactus, sage and milkweed  already growing.

The area looked untended as the grasses and native plants grew several feet due to our very wet June, however, bees and other pollinators discovered this new banquet table. 

The plants went to seed, which is why they were not cut until late this fall. Next spring and summer, as the seeds take hold we will be blessed with a beautiful wild flower garden to honor our area's pioneers who lie at rest in one of the prettiest areas of the cemetery.

A Rose by any other Name---

Did you know that Evergreen Cemetery once boasted the title of the World's Largest Rose Garden? From the early 1900s to the 1960s, thousands of roses adorned the cemetery's grounds, creating a breathtaking display for visiting families. Trellises adorned with blooming roses welcomed visitors, but over time, as families moved on or passed away, the next generation didn't continue the legacy.

By the 1970s, the once-magnificent rose garden faced challenges—unruly roses and trellises that posed hazards to maintenance crews. In an effort to address these issues, over 800 trellises were removed, leaving only a handful of roses. Interestingly, many of these remaining roses are classified as old growth roses (OGR) or heirloom roses, known for their rich fragrances and large, beautiful blooms. The term "old growth roses" specifically refers to roses that predate 1867!

Enter Bill and Anita Eickley, vital partners of the Pikes Peak Rose Society, who are now dedicated to preserving the few historic roses that remain. Their commitment is evident in projects like the Never Forget Garden at the front office and the new Garden of Memories situated between the Evergreen Chapel and the Evergreen Heritage office.

An annual highlight is the Rose Sale sponsored by The Pikes Peak Rose Society at Evergreen Chapel every May. To ensure you don't miss this event in 2024, be sure to sign up for updates and news. It's a fantastic opportunity to celebrate and support the preservation of Evergreen Cemetery's unique and historic rose heritage.

Did you notice our  National Register of Historic Places boulder has a new home!

1912 Evergreen Cemetery's New Office Building!

Join us on a journey back in time as Evergreen Heritage explores the history of Evergreen and Fairview Cemeteries.

We begin with the announcement of the new Evergreen Cemetery office from 1912. I wish photos existed of the original wooden office building mentioned in the article.

 

Wreaths For Evergreen!

Evergreen Heritage has honored our nation's military heritage for over 20 years. These events include historic walking tours, presentations and our annual Memorial Day Commemoration.

 In 2017, Evergreen Heritage introduced Wreaths Across America a community event honoring our veterans and first responders.

The fundraising aspect of the Wreaths Across America program is equally significant. Five dollars from each wreath purchased goes back to the nonprofit that sells the wreaths. In the past, several individual groups have raised substantial amounts for their specific causes, without any financial benefit for Evergreen Cemetery.

It's vital to understand that even though both cemeteries are city owned and operated, there is no city funding available for restoration projects. These cemeteries are enterprises, meaning they must be self-sufficient. To put this into perspective, other enterprises in Colorado Springs, such as the Pikes Peak Highway and Patty Jewitt Golf Course, have recurring revenue streams, which the cemetery lacks.

To undertake our restoration projects successfully, we need the financial support of our community through participation in our fundraising events. Our handful of dedicated volunteers cannot achieve this goal on our own; we need the entire community to join us in preserving our history.

Starting in December 2023, funding from wreaths purchased through Evergreen Cemetery Benevolent Society (Evergreen Heritage) will mark the beginning of the financial journey toward restoring the Evergreen Chapel. Our goal is to secure the necessary funds to commence the restoration within the next two years as we embark on the celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Colorado Statehood and the 250th Anniversary of the United States.

We warmly invite you to join us in supporting Evergreen Heritage/Evergreen Cemetery Benevolent Society, an organization that serves our entire community and strives to honor the memory of those who have served our nation. Your support is crucial in helping us achieve our mission.

Click the link below!

Purchase Wreaths For Evergreen Cemetery

Frank Maynard--Cowboy, Poet and Author

 

Frank H Maynard, Block 77

Cowboy, Carpenter, Poet, and Author

Francis Henry Maynard, known as Frank Maynard was an old-time cowboy of the American West who claimed authorship of the revised version of the well-known ballad, "The Streets of Laredo". After a decade of roaming the West, Maynard settled down in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Yet, his interest remained in reminiscences of his time as a cowboy and the desire to tell his special story for posterity.

Maynard was born in Iowa City in Johnson County in eastern Iowa, the second of five children of Horace Maynard and Georgiana Maynard. At the age of sixteen, Maynard left home to look for adventure, first along the Platte River. He lived for a time in Towanda in Butler County, Kansas. The other Maynard family members soon moved to Butler County, and for a time young Maynard and his father hauled freight from Emporia to Wichita, Kansas. In 1870, Maynard went on his first buffalo hunt in Kingman County, Kansas.

In the spring of 1872 at the age of eighteen, Maynard was "officially" a cowboy, a livelihood that he maintained until his marriage in 1881. In the spring and summer of 1872, he helped to drive a herd of horses, which had been wintered in Kansas to Jacksboro in Jack County in north central Texas. On the return to Kansas, he joined other drovers on a cattle drive.

After nine years as a cowboy, Maynard married and began work as a carpenter. He joined the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Modern Woodmen of America and was the treasurer of the organization by 1890. He became a partner in a speculative venture, the Buckeye Gold Mining and Milling Company located near Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Maynard began writing articles and poems about his western experience, particularly by 1911. He put new words to what became "Cowboy's Lament" as early as 1876. Maynard sang one of his poems over the grave of his friend, Ed Masterson, Marshal of Dodge City and brother of Bat Masterson. Marshal Ed Masterson was killed in a gunfight on April 9, 1878, in Dodge City, Kansas. Maynard wrote the author Jack London, who urged him to write short articles for magazines before trying to produce a book-length manuscript of Maynard's days in the Old West. In 1911, Maynard produced Rhymes of the Range and Trail, copyrighted and self-published, probably in few copies.

Maynard left a memoir that was discovered, edited, and published in 2010 under the title Cowboy's Lament: A Life on the Open Range, by Jim Hoy. In his memoir, Maynard relates about many events of the West, including stampedes, grasshopper pestilences, how to kill buffalo with a single shot, white outlaws posing as Indians, instances of genuine friendship on the plains, mistaken hangings, and his acquaintance with prominent western figures, such as Bill Tilghman, Wyatt Earp, and Buffalo Bill Cody.

Maynard was ill for much of the last year of his life, apparently a victim of cardiovascular disease and other ailments. The Maynard's are interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs.

Most of the information for this article is from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_H._Maynard

Evergreen Heritage Story Boards Are Back!

We are thrilled to announce that our story boards have been revived, bringing to life the captivating history of some of the remarkable individuals laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery. Our current collection of story boards shines a spotlight on the inspiring stories of the veterans buried here, showcasing their courage and sacrifice. But this is just the beginning! Stay tuned as we continue to unveil new stories, each one a testament to the extraordinary lives that have shaped our community. Join us in this journey of remembering these amazing heroes.

Memorial Day Commemoration

 

**Memorial Day Event**

Monday, May 29th at 10am-12pm

Evergreen Cemetery

Free Admission

10am: At the Evergreen Chapel, come enjoy Ford's Independent Company, a Civil War Historic Display. Also If you’ve never seen the inside of our incredible chapel that was built in 1909, now‘s your chance! Even the basement!

11am: The 10th US Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers Commemoration. Visitors can walk a short distance from the Evergreen Chapel to a nearby section to watch the Buffalo Soldiers post the colors.

11:30am: The event concludes back at the chapel with light refreshments.

Hope to see you there to help us honor the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.

Evergreen Cemetery Self Guided Walking Tour

 Visit Our New Self Guided Walking Tour! Click the link and begin your journey thru history.

Cemetery Wanderings with Edgar Allen Poe

 

  CLICK THE IMAGE TO  PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS WITH EVENTBRITE:

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Evergreen Heritage 2021 Calendar!

On July 31st  1871, Fountain Colony was established as the founding fathers drove the stake at what is today the intersection of Pikes Peak and Cascade Avenues. 

Evergreen Heritage joins the city of Colorado Springs in a yearlong celebration of our city’s sesquicentennial in 2021.

To commemorate this auspicious occasion, Evergreen Heritage presents the 2021 Sesquicentennial Calendar.

 Due to covid restrictions, our  2020  fund-raising events were cancelled.  The money needed for restoration projects comes through fund-raising events or from supporting members. We are not funded by the city of Colorado Springs. We are a separate 501c3 nonprofit entity.

We celebrate the pioneers who arrived 150 years ago to create a new home and the amazing community we live in today.

Help us keep history alive by purchasing our 2021 Evergreen Heritage Sesquicentennial Calendar.

ORDERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY DECEMBER 7TH TO ENSURE ARRIVAL BY JANUARY 2021

To order your calendar please click the yellow button below

Now You Can Ask Queen Palmer

 As we enter the yearlong celebration of the founding of our beautiful city, what questions would you like to ask of General Palmer or myself?

Help Us Preserve History at Evergreen and Fairview Cemeteries

Our main fundraising events are cancelled this year. Although this puts a strain in our repair budget, we now have time to make repairs at Evergreen and Fairview Cemeteries. Below is a video of our first repair for the summer. To make a donation, please visit our Membership Page. Thank you for all of your support!

Yes! How Can I Help?