By Pat Atchison

Because Citizens Cemetery is near the center of Prescott, many people walk in to look around. Some visit to view the artistic grave markers. Others are history buffs who are interested in the dates and other information listed on the markers. Some walk in to see the beautiful wildflowers in the springtime. Some come on a mission to discover the burial place of a relative.

After looking around, many of these people have questions about the cemetery. Perhaps the most frequently asked is, "How did all those people die? Was there a massacre or an epidemic?" And then they point to a large area of the cemetery. 

The area is distinguished by modest, rectangular slabs of cement. Each bears a name, the date of death and the age at the time of death. Due to their composition, many of the slabs have been broken by the elements and vandals. 

This is the "Potter's Field". "What is that?" we are asked. The "Potter's Field" is a Biblical term. It is found in the Book of Matthew 27:3-10. "Then Judas, which had betrayed Him, saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests. . . and they took counsel, and bought with them the potters' field to bury strangers in." Though this is the first time the phrase was used, in all probability, even in pre-Biblical times, man felt the obligation to do justice and honor to the dead with proper burial. 

It was here that people were buried at the expense of Yavapai County. These people included the poor, travelers with no known relatives and criminals. The dates on the gravemarkers indicate that the first burial in the section was in 1895 and the last in 1912. All in all, there are more than 450 burials. The people were interred in chronological order (unlike the rest of the cemetery where the graves were used in random order.) It is this fact that causes people to conjecture that there was a massacre or an epidemic. 

At least at one point in time, the Potter's Field was considered a separate cemetery. In June 1905, John C. Clarke died of cancer at the County Hospital. He was a rancher/miner and lived the life of a hermit. He left no will or papers stating the value of his estate. The Board of Supervisors directed the undertaker to do as he saw fit; "bury the body, and put in the bill against the estate, or give the remains burial in the potter's field, and put in his bill to the county." The undertaker chose the second option. 

John C. Clarke was interred in the Potter's Field. An administrator was appointed for his estate. After a great deal of work and time, the estate was settled in February 1906. On February 23, 1906, The Prescott Weekly Courier reported "The estate was realized upon much better than was expected, as deceased was supposed to be insolvent and the remains were buried at the expense of the county in the Potter's field. Upon order from the probate court, the remains will be removed to the Citizens cemetery and a suitable monument placed over the grave." 

Indeed, Mr. Clarke's remains were removed and buried in a nearby location in the main part of Citizens Cemetery. The site is marked with a large, ornate white bronze gravemarker. 

One section of the Potter's Field is affectionately known by Association workers as, "Murderers Row." These unmarked graves contain the remains of men who were publicly hanged for committing acts of murder. Included in this number are: Dennis W. (Mad Dog) Dilda who was hanged on February 25, 1886 after being convicted of killing a Deputy Sheriff in Williamson Valley; James Fleming Parker who was hanged on June 3, 1898 after being convicted for the killing of a Yavapai County Deputy District Attorney; Francisco Renteria and Hilario Hidalgo were hanged on July 31, 1903 after being convicted for the murders of two men at Goddard Station (near New River); and two men listed only as "Hung Mexican" with no date(s) nor details. 

Many of those who are in the Potter's Field as their eternal resting place spent the last portion of their life in the Yavapai County Hospital. Among these are Carey H. Coy, who died on July 25, 1900; Thomas S. Eells, a miner, who died on November 19, 1902; Joe Kerr who died on December 31, 1902; Patrick Peele, from Chaparral, who died on February 1, 1905; and, Samuel Swan who was at the hospital from 1890 until his death, at age 66, on September 12, 1898. 

Some of the others committed, or were possible, suicides. George Harris, a teamster, was killed when his wagon, which was loaded with goods for the McCabe Mine, overturned and rolled over him twice on March 2, 1897. H. Smith worked at a tobacco and fruit stand on Montezuma Street. He died at his cabin on Blind Indian Creek as the result of a fire on February 18, 1904. 

There are as many stories as there are people interred in the Potter's Field. These people contributed to the history of Prescott and Yavapai County. Unfortunately, due to their position in life at the time of their death, their obituaries are often abbreviated. 

On Monday, May 31, 2004 at 9:00 a.m. the Yavapai Cemetery Association will host the tenth annual Memorial Day Observance at Citizens Cemetery. The public is invited to attend. 

(Pat Atchison is the Chairperson of the Yavapai Cemetery Association.) 



Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(pb062f9i5). Reuse only by permission.
There are as many stories as there are people interred in the Potter's Field. These people contributed to the history of Prescott and Yavapai County. This photograph shows Citizens Cemetery in January 1963.