As we enjoy our summer activities and worship services at Pioneer Park, have you noticed the grouping of headstones and grave markers located in the southeast corner? 5 acres of the Park were once the Calvary Cemetery. Burials began here in 1875. About 2000 early settlers, priests, war veterans, and other Catholics were buried in this Catholic cemetery over the next 85 years. About 1919 when the church opened the new Holy Cross Cemetery (on Hilltop Drive), Calvary Cemetery fell into disuse and disrepair. Though attempts were made to rehabilitate the property, it continued to deteriorate and be vandalized. In 1960, it held its last burial and in 1968 was officially declared abandoned.
About 1970, the conversion to Calvary Pioneer Memorial Park began with removal of all unmarked gravestones. The 2 above ground vaults were opened and those caskets interred below. Many gravestones removed were buried in an isolated area of Mt. Hope Cemetery, and about 100 of them were placed in the southwest corner of Pioneer Park. The Park was officially dedicated in Dec. 1977 and continues to be enjoyed by residents, including our summer worship service and the Friday concert series.