Plot your perfect Halloween outing

Story & photos by Gretchen Ammerman

Oregon Coast TODAY

Long before people thought of the end of October as the time to dress their pets in “cute” costumes like hot dogs, and allow their children to collect a year's worth of sweets in one night, there were traditions that marked the end of warm days and bountiful harvests, and the beginning of the long, dark winter. 

The ancient Celts believed that there was one night a year when the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead was at its thinnest, allowing the ghosts of the departed to return to Earth. Some cite the fact that they dressed in costumes to scare away the spirits on that night as the origin of Halloween.

Latin cultures also have traditions this time of year stemming from a similar belief in the closeness of those who’ve passed, the more well-known being Día de los Muertos. In contrast to the fearful Celts, this is a time for a celebration of the dead, including travelling to cemeteries to bring food and other offerings to departed family members.

Though cemeteries should always be entered with an attitude of respect, they are apt areas for awe; reminding us not only of our own mortality, but affording the opportunity to reflect on the names, and sometimes small glimpses into the stories, of those that came before us.

The Central Coast has three cemeteries that are both historic and scenic. And depending on your belief in and desire to be closer to the departed, this might be a great time to give them a visit.

The Toledo Cemetery began burials in 1886, and hosts the remains of people that were alive during the Civil War, including at least one Civil War veteran.

The earliest recorded burials included Julia A. Miller, who died in 1886. Miller’s headstone was broken many years ago, and it was a mystery to whom it belonged until an old obituary was found which proved the dates to be hers. 

Another early burial was the wife and third child of Tom Fish, who was so broken-hearted at the losses that he commissioned the carving of a huge stone for them and built an iron fence around it, which is still in place today. He was later buried beside them. 

Very recently, a volunteer helping to care for the property unearthed a long-covered headstone when she was clearing weeds. The deceased, Edward Altree, died in 1886 at the curiously specific age of 52 years, two months, and 26 days.

A personal favorite grave marker is that of “Wm Hinshaw, Wagon Train Pilot,” who made it from Ohio to Drift Creek then died there in 1890. It’s likely the current marker, made with welded metal, is a replacement for the original

The cemetery sits on seven acres at 2150 Arcadia Drive, providing a large area in which to walk and reflect. Local deer often wander through providing quiet but cute company.

For more information, go to toledocemetery.newportchristian.com.

The Taft Pioneer Cemetery in Lincoln City just squeaks by as an “Historic Cemetery” as defined by the state of Oregon, which requires that such resting places house at least one resident who passed away prior to February 14, 1909. 

Filed under, “You can’t make this stuff up,” the cemetery was started by a man named Mr. Bones, who donated the property to open the area’s first formal burial grounds upon the death of his friend, Mr. Niels Andersen, in 1906.

Overlooking the ocean, the cemetery is also home to a stone that reads, “A view to die for,” showing that the decedent, or their family, had a fine sense of humor.

Veterans from many wars are also interred there, some even recently, as this is still an active place for laying loved ones to rest

Taft Pioneer Cemetery is located off of Highway 101 on SE 39th Street. For more information, go to tpca101.blogspot.com.

Perched above Newport, the Eureka Cemetery and Mausoleum recorded its first burial in 1879, three years before Newport was incorporated as a city. The Eureka Cemetery was the first incorporated cemetery in Lincoln County and today covers 22 acres, and also includes a mausoleum that was added later.

The residents include area settler John Nye, and Monta Maley, a Civil War nurse who is buried with an American flag awarded personally to her by President Abraham Lincoln.

Make the visit a family affair by participating in an Oregon State University adventure quest on the property. Find more information and your Quest booklet by going to seagrant.oregonstate.edu/education/quests.

The Eureka Cemetery and Mausoleum is located at 1101 NE Yaquina Heights Drive. 

For more information, go to eurekacemetery.org.