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Hidden Treasures In and Around
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Rose Hills Memorial Park [3888 S. Workman Mill Rd., Whittier, 562/699-0921], considered the largest single-site cemetery in the world, isn’t filled with elaborate statuary and tombstones (most markers are flush to the ground), but it does feature a Japanese Garden, the famous Pageant of Roses Garden with over 600 varieties of roses, and decorative chapels such as the newly completed SkyRose chapel designed by Fay Jones and Maurice Jennings. Also included on its grounds is a World War I Memorial, the interactive Justice for Homicide Victims kiosk, the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Columbarium,which is the largest Buddhist pagoda in the United States, and an animal topiary garden named Carousel Babyland
Located on busy Valley Blvd., many do not know that Savannah Memorial Park [9263 Valley Blvd., Rosemead] is actually one of the oldest existing cemeteries in southern California. Established in 1851, it has grown to over 4 acres in size and contains many headstones from the mid-1850s through the present.
Although small in size, Sierra Madre Cemetery [located at the corner of Sierra Madre Blvd. and Coburn Ave., Sierra Madre] is one of the most enchanting. This beautifully landscaped burial ground features tombstones from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Evergreen Cemetery [204 N. Evergreen Ave. Los Angeles, 323/268-6714] is the oldest cemetery in the city of Los Angeles still operating in its original location. Not only does it include incredible headstones from the mid-to-late nineteenth century through the present, it also includes a chapel designed by Arthur B. Benton (of the Riverside, Mission Inn notoriety) and a Chinese Burial Shrine which has been designated a Cultural Historic Landmark by the city.
The marble-lined main mausoleum of Calvary Cemetery [4201 Whittier Blvd., Los Angeles, 323/261-3106], is well worth a visit for its grandeur alone. Built in 1929, it contains the remains of well- known local individuals such as Bishop Thaddeus Amat and politician Henry T. Gage. It also holds the remains of famous celebrities like members of the Barrymore family, actress Pola Negri, and Lou Costello of Abbott and Costello fame. A chapel is even located in the center of the structure where many impressive stained glass windows can be viewed.
