Mt. Olive Cemetery (Whittier, California)

USA / California / West Whittier-Los Nietos / Whittier, California
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Founder's Park was created in the area originally known as Mount Olive Cemetery and Broadway (Clark) Cemetery, and is located between 12100 and 12500 Broadway Street in Whittier, California. Citrus Avenue divides the park, which was opened in 1977.

After being declared a public nuisance in 1959, it was decided to develop the property into a "quiet" park. The cemeteries were covered with fill dirt and leveled. The present park walkways follow the original cemetery paths. The remains of the unclaimed are still there, and the names are listed on a memorial at the park.

The Whittier Park Department contacted over 2000 next-of-kin from both cemeteries. Relatives were offered the headstones, but most were not picked up, so the Park Department stored them. They now reside out of public view at the Whittier Museum, but are not available for inventory due to the weights involved in moving the heavy stones.

Mount Olive Cemetery had 365 documented burials which took place between 1888 and 1957. Most burials were from 1900 to 1937.

The Broadway (formerly Clark) Cemetery contained 926 burials - 68 percent of them prior to 1910.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   33°59'12"N   118°2'48"W

Comments

  • I remember, as a kid in the 1960s, sneaking into this cemetery. It was one of those stereotypical spooky "Halloween" cemeteries with a big iron bar fence around it, and a padlock on the gate. Old headstones tipped over, bats flying around, funny noises. It was a great place to take a girl.
This article was last modified 12 years ago