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4.5
57 votes

Silver Terrace Cemeteries

North E St, Virginia City, Nevada 89440 USA

Free
Free to Visit
  • Independent
  • Not Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Outdoor
    Seating
  • No Wifi
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“on the hills”

The Silver Terrace Cemeteries are a series of terraces dramatically located on the steep, windswept hillside of Virginia City. As this booming mining camp became a more permanent settlement, the need arose to establish a cemetery. Beginning in the 1860s, a wide variety of fraternal, civic and religious groups established burial yards on the hillside including the Masons, Pacific Coast Pioneers, Knights of Pythias, Firemen, Wilson and Brown, Improved Order of Redmen, Roman Catholic, and the city and county. Nearly every plot is fenced or bordered, a typical practice of the Victorian period. The characteristic features of this burial place reflect the breadth of styles and designs popular during its long history. Grave markers range in materials from wood to metal to cut stone. The inscriptions on the markers give silent testimony to the social and economic fabric of Virginia City. The majority date to before 1920. Very few of the adults buried in these cemeteries were born in Nevada. The birthplaces noted throughout the grounds provide a glimpse of the scope of immigration and the makeup of the settlement that supported the Comstock mining industry. The historic significance of the cemeteries enabled them to qualify for a Save America's Treasures grant through the National Park Service. Restoration is under way.

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Reviewed by
Nancy Sewell

  • 1,228 Reviews
  • 412 Helpful
January 27, 2017
Rated

In the 1860s, a wide variety of fraternal, civic and religious groups established burial yards on the hillside. These groups included the Masons, Pacific Coast Pioneers, Knights of Pythias, Virginia City Firemen, Wilson and Brown, Improved Order of Redmen, Roman Catholic, and the city and county.

Because of the historic significance of the cemetery, it qualified for a "Save America's Treasures" grant through the National Park Service, and ongoing restoration is under way.

In both the Silver Terrace Cemetery and the Gold Hill Cemetery, nearly every plot is fenced or bordered, a typical practice of the Victorian period. The characteristic features of these burial places reflect the breadth of styles and designs popular during their long history. Grave markers range in materials from wood to metal to cut stone.

Very few of the adults buried in these cemeteries were born in Nevada. The birthplaces noted throughout the grounds provide a glimpse of the scope of immigration and the makeup of the settlement that supported the Comstock mining industry.

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Silver Terrace Cemeteries

North E St
Virginia City, Nevada
89440 USA
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  • Unavailable
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    Pets Allowed
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    Restrooms
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    Wifi
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    Wheelchair Accessible
  • Unknown
    Credit Cards Accepted
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    Outdoor Seating
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