City Cemetery - Helena's First
46°35'24.58"N
112° 2'7.47"W
Helena's
first cemetery was begun in 1865. It was located on a rise about
one-half mile northeast of the center of early Helena commerce.
The area is today bounded by N. Warren St. to the east, E. Lawrence
St. to the north, Jackson St. to the west, and by Central School
to the south.
The construction of Central School (first called Graded School
Numer 1) in 1875 required that some graves be moved. More removals
were necessary when Helena High School was constructed just north
of Central in 1890-93. Workers installing the sewer line for the
High School also accidentally uncovered remains.
Benton Avenue Cemetery was begun in 1870, and over time many of
those buried in the City Cemetery were reinterred there. There
are very likely unknown graves remaining on the City Cemetery
site. There are unsubstantiated rumors that remains were found during the construction of the new Central School building. |
Click on Map to Open
Historian Charleen Spalding's
Illustrated History of the City Cemetery
Part
of City Cemetery Seen from the Central School Grounds, ca 1876
To the Left of the Outbuilding
COURTESY
OF CHARLEEN SPALDING
City
Cemetery and Surrounding Landmarks, 1890
COURTESY
OF CHARLEEN SPALDING • CLICK ON IMAGE TO
OPEN A BIG VERSION IN A NEW WINDOW
Bones
Found During High School Construction, 1890
Grave
Disturbed in 1983
COURTESY
OF CHARLEEN SPALDING
CLICK ON IMAGE TO
OPEN A BIG VERSION IN A NEW WINDOW
Who Was
In the Grave?
No name or
identifying artifacts were found with the skelton or the coffin.
The bones, along with remnants of the coffin, were sent to the
University of Montana in Missoula for analysis. Professor of Physical
Anthropology Charline G. Smith concluded that the skeleton represented
a roughly 50-year-old male Caucasian, who was around 5' 6"
tall, and who died sometime around the turn of the twentieth century.
The bones remain at the University.
Thanks
to Helena historian Charleen Spalding for her help in completing
this feature! |
