CEMETERY CRAWL #1
WORKSHOP
PHOENIX AREA
OCTOBER 22, 2005
Debe Branning and Sharon Clauss developed the Cemetery Crawl as a way ghost hunters could learn the locations and see various styles of cemeteries in Arizona. Besides gaining knowledge of the history of these burial grounds, you learn which cemeteries are safe and available for spirit photography after dark and where some of the active paranormal spots are.
The Crawl is a twist on an old fashion road rally where the participant is sent to travel from one location to another—it is part scavenger hunt as you need to find certain tombstones by using a series of clues—and a little like TV’s Amazing Race where you compete against other teams. At each cemetery, the ”Cemetery Attendant” hands you a clue—you must find and photograph the assigned tombstone—and hurry back to the mat where you are rewarded points for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. We also presented the participants with a tarot card at each location for a reading later in the evening.
We selected five cemetery locations to visit starting at the historic Pioneer & Military Memorial Park Cemetery in Phoenix. This cemetery was in use from 1884 until 1914. It is a combination of seven cemeteries: Ancient Order of United Workers—Independent Order of Odd Fellows—Knights of Pythias—Loosley—Masons—Porter—and Rosedale. After a law forbidding further burials within city limits went into effect in 1914, the cemeteries were declared closed.
Our next stop was St. Francis Catholic Cemetery in another part of Phoenix. This cemetery was established in 1897. This is a beautiful cemetery with statuary, stained glass, and an outdoor mausoleum. The grounds are green and well attended. There are sections just for nuns and priests to be buried.
The next small cemetery was hidden away in a residential neighborhood and probably goes unnoticed the majority of the time. Camelback Cemetery was established in 1916 and originally used to bury Mexican Catholics who were victims of the 1918 flu epidemic. There are also several veterans buried there. This is a dirt cemetery and the occupants (600) are crowded. It has headstones representing several nationalities and religions in one tiny space.
Traveling south we made a stop at the City of Mesa Cemetery. This is an example of a cemetery that is green and lush with several statuesque cypress trees and well-attended graves. It is a favorite for strollers and bicyclists. There are some very old graves as well as a new expanded area. The land was purchased in 1891 to accommodate for the growing community. Occupants from an original cemetery were moved to the current location. A hearse club joined us at the Mesa Cemetery and gave the group a ride around the cemetery in their vehicles.
Our last stop on the crawl was Double Buttes Cemetery in Tempe established in 1897. It is a moderate sized cemetery with many old graves and a labyrinth crematory. Many of Tempe’s founding fathers and big time ranchers are buried here. This cemetery has been known to be a great location to capture EVP.
We finished the evening at a Pizza Hut near by where we could compare cemetery photos and discuss the day’s events. We calculated points and declared Linda Berzi as the winner of Cemetery Crawl 1. We handed out prizes and everyone received a five-card tarot reading from the cards they collected along the Crawl for completing each cemetery. A donation from the proceeds of the Crawl was presented to the Pioneer Cemetery Association.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THE CRAWL ON AZ CENTRAL.COM