Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery

Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery is a cemetery, located at 1831 West Washington Boulevard in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, southwest of Downtown.

The cemetery in March 2024

History

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Located in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles,[1][2][3][4] the cemetery was founded as Rosedale Cemetery in 1884,[5] when Los Angeles had a population of approximately 28,000,[6] on 65 acres (260,000 m2) of land running from Washington to Venice Boulevard (then 16th Street) between Normandie Avenue and Walton and Catalina Streets. It is often used by California politicians, notably former Mayors of the City of Los Angeles.[citation needed]The interments include pioneers and members of prominent families in Los Angeles and the state.[citation needed]

Rosedale was the first cemetery in Los Angeles open to all races and creeds, and was the first to adopt the design concept of lawn cemeteries. This is where the grounds are enhanced to surround the graves with beautiful trees, shrubs, flowers, natural scenery and works of monumental art. Among the more traditional structures, headstones and mausoleums, the cemetery also has several pyramid crypts.[7] In 1887, the second crematory in the US was opened at Rosedale Cemetery.[8] It was also the first crematory west of the Rocky Mountains.[9] The initial cremation took place on June 16, when the body of Mrs. Olive A. Bird (c. 1845–1886), wife of prominent physician O.B. Bird, was cremated. By 1913, there had been 2,392 cremations performed at Rosedale. Next to the cemetery at 1605 S. Catalina Street is another cremation facility, the domed, observatory-shaped Chapel of the Pines Crematory.[citation needed]

In 1993, Rosedale was bought by the Angelus Funeral Home on Crenshaw Boulevard and renamed Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery.[7]

Events

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On numerous occasions, the West Adams Heritage Association, in conjunction with the Los Angeles Historical Society, has sponsored a "Living History tour" featuring grave site portrayals of historic figures. In 1994, the Los Angeles Times noted that the annual event began 4 years earlier. [1][2][4][10]

Notable interments

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Sources not listed here can be found in the articles referenced.

  • Joseph Maier (1851–1905), brewer, businessman and owner the Maier-Zobelien Brewery in Los Angeles
  • John Mansfield (1822–1896), politician, lieutenant governor of California from 1880 to 1883
  • Joe Marshall (1876–1931), Major League Baseball player
  • William B. Mayes (1837–1900), Union Army soldier, Medal of Honor recipient[19]
  • Owen McAleer (1858–1944), politician, Canadian-born 35th mayor of Los Angeles
  • Hattie McDaniel (1895–1952), actress, first African American female to win an Academy Award[20]
  • Spencer G. Millard (1856–1895), politician, 20th lieutenant governor of California[21]
  • Mable Monohan (1888–1953), murder victim; her death sent Barbara Graham, Emmet Perkins and Jack Santo to the gas chamber
  • Gideon C. Moody (1832–1904), American politician, congressman and senator
  • Tim Moore (1887–1958), vaudevillian; comic actor, stage, screen and television. Known for his role as The Kingfish of Amos 'n' Andy fame.
  • Remi Nadeau (1819–1887), French Canadian pioneer who arrived in Los Angeles in 1861
  • Marshall Neilan (1891–1958), director, actor, motion picture pioneer
  • John G. Nichols (1813–1898), 3rd and 10th Mayor of Los Angeles
  • Henry Z. Osborne (1848–1923), politician, served in the House of Representatives from California
  • Ernestine Wade (1906–1983), actress, played Sapphire Stevens on radio and TV's Amos 'n' Andy
  • Olin Wellborn (1843–1921), politician, served in House of Representatives from Texas
  • Franz Werfel (1890–1945), Austrian writer (whose body was transferred in 1975 to the Zentralfriedhof, Vienna)[22]
  • Ernest Whitman (1893–1954), actor, played the Carpetbagger's friend in Gone with the Wind
  • Robert M. Widney (1838–1929), American lawyer, judge, a founder of the University of Southern California
  • Harvey H. Wilcox (1832–1891), owned a ranch northwest of Los Angeles, which his wife, Daeida, named Hollywood. Originally interred in Rosedale, alongside his mother, Azubah (Mark) Wilcox (c. 1804–1888); he was removed to Hollywood Cemetery in 1922
  • Dooley Wilson (1886–1953), actor, musician, played Sam in Casablanca
  • Valentin Wolfenstein (1845–1909), Swedish-American photographer
  • Anna May Wong (1905–1961), actress, the first Chinese American movie star[21]
  • Frederic T. Woodman (1872–1949), politician, 41st mayor of Los Angeles

References

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  1. ^ a b Lavin, Enrique (September 11, 1994). "WEST ADAMS : Grave Site Portrayals of Historic Figures". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Harvey, Steve (October 9, 1999). "A Surfer Who Really Walks on Water". Los Angeles Times. Today's tour of the celebrity graves in the Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in the West Adams District is sold out.
  3. ^ Rasmussen, Cecilia (March 30, 2003). "Captain of Confederate Sub Surfaced in L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 6, 2023. William was buried in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in the West Adams district.
  4. ^ a b "Once a year, West Adams' Angelus Rosedale Cemetery comes to life". KPCC (FM). September 12, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2023. The Angelus Rosedale cemetery in West Adams has buried more history buried underground than probably any place in Los Angeles.
  5. ^ Los Angeles Times, Nov 20, 1884, "Rosedale – The Opening of a New Cemetery in this City," p. 0_4
  6. ^ "Los Angeles County History – An Illustrated History of Southern California". Los Angeles City. CalArchives4u.com. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company. 1890. Archived from the original on March 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  7. ^ a b Meares, Hadley (May 8, 2015). "Above the Silent Sleepers: The Lively Lives at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery". Departures. KCET. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  8. ^ Rosedale – Cemetery, Mortuary and Crematory by Msgr. Francis J. Weber
  9. ^ Los Angeles County History – An Illustrated History of Southern California – Los Angeles City
  10. ^ Jarvis, Michael (October 27, 2002). "We See Dead People". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 6, 2023. The Living History Cemetery Tour may sound like an oxymoron, but $17 tickets sell out for the fall event in which earthly mortals portray inhabitants of the Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in West Adams.
  11. ^ Notable Interments & Their Families, Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery, Retrieved December 12, 2011
  12. ^ Radio Swiss Classic
  13. ^ Brooks, Patricia; Brooks, Jonathan (2006). Laid to Rest in California: A Guide to the Cemeteries and Grave Sites of the Rich and Famous. Globe Pequot. p. 2. ISBN 0-7627-4101-5.
  14. ^ Los Angeles Times
  15. ^ Tante Burk, Margaret; Hudson, Gary (1996). Final Curtain: Eternal Resting Places Of Hundreds Of Stars, Celebrities, Moguls, Misers & Misfits. Seven Locks Press. p. 2. ISBN 0-929765-53-2.
  16. ^ a b Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub. p. 192. ISBN 0-7864-0983-5.
  17. ^ Burbank History, City of Burbank, December 2011
  18. ^ Baseball Almanac
  19. ^ "Military Times Hall of Valor: William B. Hayes". Archived from the original on September 18, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  20. ^ Hollywood Reporter
  21. ^ a b c KCET
  22. ^ Franz Werfel – timeline and works Archived October 24, 2019, at the Wayback Machine (in German)
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34°02′31″N 118°17′52″W / 34.0420°N 118.2978°W / 34.0420; -118.2978