A Walkabout An Old Tucson Cemetery
Guide Homer Theil talking to our group showing valuable cheat notes he gave to all in the group. At the home behind him the homeowner discovered the body of a child who had died of a head injury, probably kicked by a horse or mule.
In late October 2022, Ms. Karen and I ventured out to partake in a walking tour of the Old Court Street Cemetery with Guide Homer Theil, the archaeologist who discovered the remnants of the original Tucson Presidio, now a public museum. This tour lasted about an hour and a half.
This walking tour started at 10 AM at the corner of Stone Ave. and Speedway, which was the northeast corner of the old cemetery. What is fascinating about this area is many bodies are still buried here, under neighborhood houses and their adjacent yards. Over the years, many have been excavated, studied, and re-interred in more modern graveyards.
The Catholic Plot at Stone and Speedway. Archaeologists must provide the State of Arizona with detailed descriptions of the burial. In this case, bottles of embalming fluid were included with the body.
Neighborhood residents have often turned up burials in their backyards while digging a hole to plant a tree or for some other reason. At one home, the homeowner was digging a hole in the front yard and came across the body of a young child, who archaeologists later determined had died of a head injury, probably kicked by a horse or mule.
Interestingly, if the homeowner discovers a body buried on their property, the cost to exhume and identify the remains is theirs. If the body is discovered buried under a public street or easement, then the cost is borne by the City. The cost to identify a body by gender, race or ethnicity, and age and manner of death can be $6,000 and is a requirement in any building project. That is why the new Joint Courthouse on Stone cost the County $13 million more than they had budgeted. They did not know so many bodies were buried where they wanted to build.
Patch of asphalt where a body was discovered after excavating for a sewer leak.
Homer told our group that there are still several human remains buried under the vacant lot at Stone and Speedway where we had parked our cars. Additionally, there were several sub-sections to this cemetery, the largest one was for Roman Catholic burials, then smaller ones for Protestants, Jews, and Native Americans. This cemetery was used from 1875 to 1909, but some burials were removed between 1909 and 1916.
Burial in the Red Man Plot. The casket was ornate. Even had a viewing window. Very unusual for his period. Red Man was a Fraternal Organization based in Texas. Members were assured of a fine burial and all the local members were required to attend the funeral.
Of those people buried here, 43% were female, and 57% male. The average age at death was 25.7 years. Back then, if you lived to age 10, you could expect to live to age 44. If you lived to age 30, you could expect to die around age 53. Tuberculosis was the number one killer of Tucsonans back then.
Back then, if you died of a transmittable disease, you were buried very quickly, even with the clothes you were wearing when you died, including the contents of pockets. One body was found with a coin purse and a pocket knife in the coffin.
Coin purse and jack knife found with these human remains.
Homer Theil is an excellent guide. He knows his stuff. It is his job to know. We recommend you take advantage of any tour he leads, particularly those associated with El Presidio del Tucson which sponsored our tour. You can subscribe to the Presidio’s Events Calendar here and receive advanced notice of their tours.