Hillcrest-Mission Hills Improvement Association Calvary Cemetery / Pioneer Park Collection, 1869-1977, bulk Bulk, 1969-1970

Printable guide [HTML]

Summary

Creators:
Hillcrest-Mission Hills Improvement Association.
Abstract:
This collection contains information on the history and inhabitants of Calvary Cemetery and its transformation into Pioneer Park, compiled by the Hillcrest-Mission Hills Improvement Association.
Extent:
0.5 Linear feet (1 box)
Language:
Preferred citation:

Hillcrest-Mission Hills Improvement Association Calvary Cemetery / Pioneer Park Collection, MS 176, San Diego History Center Document Archives, San Diego, CA.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains information on the history and inhabitants of Calvary Cemetery and its transformation into Pioneer Park, compiled by the Hillcrest-Mission Hills Improvement Association. This includes newspaper and magazine articles, correspondence and records compiled by the Association during official discussions of whether to convert the cemetery into a park, and plans, blueprints, and official bids from contractors. Additional research includes headstone counts, lot maps, and copies from mortuary records, as well as biographical reports written by college students about the individuals on certain headstones.

Biographical / historical:

In 1874, the city of San Diego purchased land with the intended purpose of creating a cemetery, half of which to be designated for a Catholic cemetery and half for a Protestant cemetery. The Protestant half was never utilized, while the first Catholic burial took place in 1875. Burials took place at a regular rate up until 1919 when the Holy Cross Cemetery was opened and became the more popular location. Without much church or city attention, the cemetery fell into disrepair. In 1931 the idea of turning the place into a park was floated and the debate began between preserving the cemetery and protecting those entombed, and re-developing the cemetery and protecting the neighborhood from the eyesore the cemetery had become.

In 1938 the city of San Diego sponsored a rehabilitation project to restore the cemetery. They petitioned and won federal aid for the project in the form of WPA funds and workers. In 1939 the cemetery was rededicated and a new marker was unveiled dedicating the site to San Diego pioneers and officially naming the place Calvary Cemetery (it was previously referred to as the new Catholic cemetery, until 1919, and then the old Catholic cemetery).

A caretaker was employed by the city from 1941 to 1949, but the job proved too large and the cemetery slowly began to fall back into disrepair. The last burial took place in 1960, and in 1961 the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department submitted a request for a development project to be scheduled for 1966-1967 to transform the site into a park. This first official project was deferred as other projects were considered more urgent. It was at this point that the Hillcrest-Mission Hills Improvement Association became actively involved with the project.

The Association formed to advise the City of San Diego with regard to the retention of the monuments and headstones within the park at Calvary Cemetery. In the two years that followed (1969-1970) debate continued between city officials, association members, and the community at large as to the development plan for the transformation. The Improvement Association researched the history of the cemetery as well as the current state of the headstones and the stories of those mentioned on the headstones. The research was very influential towards the eventual compromise that led to the final development plan for the park. In the end some headstones were restored and left in the park, others were moved within the park to a designated area and still others were removed to Mount Hope Cemetery or to city storage.

The park itself was officially dedicated as Pioneer Park in 1977.

Processing information:

Collection processed by M. Johnson in June 2009 and Samantha Mills in January 2017.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged in two series:

Series I: Calvary Cemetery History;

Series II: Pioneer Park Development.

Physical / technical requirements:

There are a few original letters, the original city contract plan and bid packet. Most of the collection contains photocopies on acid-free paper.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.

Preferred citation:

Hillcrest-Mission Hills Improvement Association Calvary Cemetery / Pioneer Park Collection, MS 176, San Diego History Center Document Archives, San Diego, CA.

Location of this collection:
1649 El Prado, Suite 3
San Diego, CA 92101, US
Contact:
(619) 232-6203
Website