New Mexico Statehood Day, Saturday, January 6, 2024, will be recognized at Historic Fairview Cemetery with a thank you event for the many volunteers who have helped improve the grounds. The public can also come for a walking tour to the graves of notable people buried at the cemetery who played major roles in New Mexico becoming a state in 1912. VIEW THE TOUR DETAILS.
For more than three years, volunteers have come on the first Saturday of the month to help clear weeds, paint walls, mulch and improve the overall appearance of this cemetery. The 17.5-acre burial ground is now owned by a nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining the grounds and sharing local history through the lives of its “permanent residents.” The celebration starts at 11:00 a.m. at the cemetery, located at 700 Yale Blvd. SE.
Burials started at Historic Fairview Cemetery in 1881. It is the final resting place of notable New Mexico residents including:
- Bernard Shandon Rodey, Territorial Representative in the U.S. Congress who pushed for New Mexico Statehood, and founder of the Rodey Law Firm.
- Edmund Gibson Ross, New Mexico Territorial Governor and U.S. Senator from Kansas featured in John F. Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage.
- Francisco Perea, Territorial Representative to the U.S. Congress who befriended President Abraham Lincoln and was in Ford’s Theater the night Lincoln was shot.
- James Santiago Hubbell, Elias Stover, Thomas Harwood, Franz Huning, and others who made an impact on the development of Albuquerque and New Mexico.
Visitors can look for small New Mexico flags on the walking tour and access additional information on brochures and through smartphones. For more information, contact Janet Saiers at 505-299-5019 or email [email protected]. Use this QR code for the tour details:
