New Helvetia Cemetery, City cemetery and historical landmark in East Sacramento, United States.
New Helvetia Cemetery was a burial ground located in East Sacramento at the intersection of Alhambra Boulevard and J Street. The site covered a substantial area and contained thousands of graves from Sacramento's early decades.
John A. Sutter established this burial ground in 1845 near his settlement, naming it after his original land grant project, and later formally donated and renamed it in 1850. The cemetery ceased operations in 1912 and remains were subsequently transferred to other local burial grounds.
The cemetery served as a burial place for diverse groups during Sacramento's early years, with designated sections for different communities that reflected the settlement patterns of the time. Chinese workers had their own area, showing how different populations were organized within the space.
The site is not accessible as a functioning cemetery since it closed in 1912 and remains were relocated. Visitors today explore the location to understand its role in Sacramento's early history rather than as an active burial ground.
The site holds a sobering connection to the 1850 cholera outbreak, when the cemetery received a sudden influx of victims during the crisis. This epidemic left a lasting mark on Sacramento's young community.
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