Historic Fairview Cemetery, established in Albuquerque, NM in 1881, is run by a local nonprofit organization. On Sunday morning, June 28, volunteers helped weed out tumbleweeds in the cemetery and removed litter.

They worked to keep the 12,000 deceased people buried there from being overwhelmed by tumbleweeds later in the year. There was also a ceremony to replace the tattered American flag with a new one, honoring the military and non-military residents of Historic Fairview Cemetery.

KRQE-TV News Coverage

(KRQE) – For years, Historic Fairview Cemetery has been known for the overgrown weeds and litter, but now a non-profit is working to revitalize it. It’s one of the oldest cemeteries in Albuquerque, started in 1881, there are 12,000 bodies buried at the Historic Fairview Cemetery on Yale.

“We have some very notable people who are buried here not only New Mexicans but on a national level,” said Gail Rubin, the president of the Historic Fairview Cemetery Non-profit. For years, the cemetery hasn’t been known for its rich history, rather for its unkempt grounds.

“Right now, it looks like an empty cemetery that nobody cares about, so homeless people come here, there’s graffiti on the walls,” said Christine Taute, about the cemetery in 2014. Now, the Historic Fairview Cemetery Non-profit is working to change that.

Twice each month, volunteers go out to the graveyard and clean up the weeds and any litter. Anthony Gomez is one of those volunteers, he says before the program, he’s been helping clean here on his own for three years.

“I enjoy cleaning up with respect to these people,” said Gomez. He says the volunteering led him to something he’d spent years searching for, his father’s burial site. Gomez says he never expected to find his dad at Fairview, but it’s one more reason he’ll keep coming back to help clean it up, so others can enjoy visiting their families and ancestors.

Join the email list for Historic Fairview Cemetery to be kept apprised of future clean up events!