Memorial Day Observance ceremony


A group of Civil War reenactors pay tribute to Arizona pioneers on Memorial Day

15th Avenue and Jefferson St., Phoenix, Arizona 85007(602) 262-6412 (Central Division)
(602) 262-6713 (TDD)

Avenue of Flags, benches, fountain, historic cemeteries.

Pioneer and Military Memorial Park serves as a monument to the pioneer families of Arizona. The park's historic cemeteries are the final resting place to notable figures in Arizona history and folklore, including John T. Alsap, who was the first Maricopa County Probate Judge in 1871 and first Mayor of Phoenix in 1881.

Jacob Walz, the Dutchman of Superstition Mountain fame, also rests here. A monument to Walz includes a simulation of Weaver's Needle and some of the imposing bluffs that serve as landmarks of the famous Superstition Wilderness. Walz and his legendary "Lost Dutchman" gold mine have become part of the internationally-known folklore of the southwestern United States.

The historic Smurthwaite House was relocated to the park in 1994. Restoration, which began in May of 1998, was completed in 2004.

The house serves as the headquarters for the Pioneers' Cemetery Association and houses archives for burial records, obituaries and other data relating to historic cemetery sites. Send an e-mail to pioneercem@yahoo.com
or Mail to:
 Pioneers' Cemetery Association, Inc.
 P. O. Box 63342
 Phoenix, Arizona 85082-3342

The Smurthwaite House and Pioneer and Military Memorial Park are open to the public by appointment. Call the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department at (602) 262-6412 to make arrangements. TDD/TTY number is (602) 262-6713.


Headstones in one the park's
seven historic cemeteries


Historic Smurthwaite House

Beautifully restored, the house serves as the headquarters for the Pioneer Cemetary Association

 
Last Modified on 03/05/2010 08:51:38