Graveyards are usually shrouded mystery, but within a block of Citrus College a forgotten graveyard sits full of recorded history—the Fairmount Pioneer Cemetery.
From 1876 to 1985, San Gabriel Valley’s dead were buried in the hill on Manresa Drive in Azusa. Pioneer families sunk members into 121 hallowed plots for generations—the Shoreys, Duartes and Griswalds founded settlements in the San Gabriel valley.
In an effort to preserve Fairmount, cemetery trustees registered the graveyard as a Glendora city and Los Angeles County landmark.
“As a board of trustees we’ve been very concerned about preserving the landmark status and properties,” said David Fredendall, a cemetery trustee.
Pioneer Henry Dalton owned much of Glendora and Azusa, known as Rancho Azusa where the cemetery was created. The name Azusa comes from a Tongvan word, suksagna, which translates to “skunk place.”
Dalton purchased Rancho Azusa from its original Spanish owner, Luis Arena, in 1844. His claim was recognized by a U.S. surveyor in 1860, but the surveyor removed the land where the cemetery from the Dalton estate.
Resting on a slope of San Felipe Hill, the cemetery once served as a landmark for early Spaniards and was a half mile from Dalton’s homestead.
The hill is now surrounded by new housing and construction making the landmark hard to find. Alongwith volunteers from Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, the housing developer has funded beautifying and renovating the site.
“William Lyon Homes has been a wonderful partner,” Fredendall said. “With the grounds and headstones cleaned up and a new gate replacing the chain link fence, the property is now protected from trespassers.”
The cemetery has emerged from a long period of neglect.
“The sad thing is over time there’s only about 85 markers legible out of 250,” Fredendall said.
Fairmount was once victim to vandalism—broken headstones, desecrated graves and stolen skulls.
By the 1960s, the surrounding Monrovia nursery planted citrus trees and installed irrigation, covering many of the graves in mud and causing water damage.
Fredendall said he is looking forward to plans to irrigate the old growth oaks on the site and further research into who is buried.
Fairmount hosts a Memorial Day service every year with a 21-gun salute to honor veterans buried there since the Civil War.
For tours of the cemetery, email Fredendall at dfredendall@aol.com.
