Situated near the end of the Old Spanish Trail that carried the American wagon trains to Southern California, Savannah is among the region’s little-known but most historic graveyards—and just a decade or two ago, among the most threatened.
One sunny Memorial Day in the early 2000s, the cemetery’s preservationists invited me to a tribute to the many soldiers and veterans buried there, some whose service hails back to the War of 1812. That visit inspired an audio podcast on the graveyard’s unique history, linked here.
The simple Memorial Day ceremony was profoundly moving, and vividly recalled the fallen whose sacrifices nurtured the freedoms we enjoy today. I don't normally gush over patriotism, but hearing speeches from current and former soldiers, along with the jarring 21-gun salute and the mournful bugling of Taps, I couldn't help but feel moved. There we were, standing together—people of every ethnicity, creed and background, descendants of pioneering families alongside recent immigrants—all paying our shared respects in a uniquely historic setting. Only the truly cynical could fail to appreciate such a moment.
Hard Times
Established in the 1850s, Savannah is generally recognized as SoCal’s oldest Protestant graveyard and the final resting place of many early El Monte pioneers. But at my Memorial Day visit, the roughly 4.5-acre landmark was struggling. Most of its plots were full, meaning it could no longer generate any appreciable revenue from new burials. As finances dwindled and maintenance suffered, volunteers and local historians feared the cemetery’s demise. (Other old Southland graveyards have already seen their dead disinterred and transferred to newer cemeteries and/or their aged monuments replaced by soulless “memorial walls.”)
Since then, fundraising, private donations and City of Rosemead support have somewhat improved Savannah’s prospects. The state designated it California Historical Landmark No. 1046 in 2012, and the El Monte Cemetery Association now maintains it.
Earlier this month, during an unusual Autumn heat spell, I revisited the burial ground for fresh photos. Except for the bone-dry, brown lawns, everything was mostly as I remembered it—and hopefully will survive undisturbed long into the future. If you’re historically minded, this often-overlooked landmark is worth a visit.