Silver Terrace Cemeteries

At the beginning of the Comstock in 1859, the dead were often buried in convenient holes, sometimes created by exploratory mining, and the earliest cemeteries were established far from the ore veins but were abandoned because the commute from town was too long. As population grew, designated and plotted burial grounds became necessary, and by 1867 the Silver Terrace collection of eleven cemeteries had been established by various community, religious, and fraternal organizations. The 30-acre grounds were fully irrigated and supported a variety of non-indigenous plants, with shaded, tree-lined pathways designed to engage the senses and reflect Victorian beliefs in everlasting life through symbols and material culture. These cemeteries became an exceptional American West cultural landscape and a forerunner of the American parks system, reflecting the population's sense of place and links to their homelands rather than the standard pioneer grid graveyard of a transient mining town. Once described as the loveliest burial grounds in Nevada, they have since suffered decay and abuse, with nearly eighty percent of grave markers stolen or vandalized, though in 2005 such theft became a felony in the state.

Virginia City, Nevada · United States