Clay Street Cemetery

Clay Street Cemetery is a cemetery located in Fairbanks, Alaska that is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was established in 1903 and contains the remains of many of Fairbanks' founders,[2] including Mary Pedro, wife of Felix Pedro, the miner who discovered the gold that led to the city's founding.

Clay Street Cemetery
Details
Established1903
Location
7th Avenue and Clay Street, Fairbanks, Alaska
CountryUnited States of America
Coordinates64°50′30″N 147°42′27″W
TypePublic
Owned byCity of Fairbanks
Size3.5 acres (1.4 ha)
WebsiteClay Street Cemetery Commission
Clay Street Cemetery
Alaska Heritage Resources Survey
Built1903 (1903)
NRHP reference No.82001619[1]
AHRS No.FAI-164
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 25, 1982
Designated AHRSMay 1, 1980

History

The Clay Street Cemetery was established in 1903 as the first cemetery of the new town of Fairbanks, founded two years before. The cemetery was located on the southeastern edge of the original townsite. Residences were built over time adjacent to the northern and western property lines. For many years, a large sawmill operated directly south of the cemetery.

The cemetery officially closed in 1938, when the City of Fairbanks established the Birch Hill Cemetery, which was far from the actual city limits at the time. Burials at Clay Street have continued, mostly sporadically. The last casket burial was of Irene Mary Sherman, a lifelong Fairbanks resident and the self-proclaimed "Queen of Fairbanks", in 1995. Burials of cremated individuals continue to occur to the present day.

The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[1]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Gravestone Archives. "Clay Street Cemetery" Archived 2007-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, gravestonearchives.net. Accessed June 30, 2009.
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