History

The Fairfield Evergreen Cemetery Association was established in 1870 by a group of nine men headed by Captain Clement Jordan. They purchased 35 acres adjacent to the Fairfield City Cemetery which by then had become full and in disrepair. Captain Jordan was motivated to create the cemetery after the death of his wife, Eliza, died in 1865 and he couldn’t find a suitable burial plot. A retired shipmaster from Maine who came to Fairfield in 1851, Captain Jordan laid out the grounds of the cemetery to be patterned after the Evergreen Cemetery in Portland, Maine, his hometown.

Since it’s beginning, Evergreen Cemetery has over 11,000 of Fairfield’s citizens and their relatives buried here. It’s a special place of beauty and tranquility that holds the stories of our community’s past – preserving the legacy of pioneers, farmers, civic leaders, freedom seekers, and countless families who have called this place home.

Some of the interesting people buried in the cemetery include U.S. Senator James F. Wilson who was a pioneer in the advancement of federal protection for civil rights.

Nancy Yancy, an educated African American women who was active in the Underground Railroad helping slaves escape to free states. Mehitable Woods, a hero of the Civil War who made several trips into Confederate territory to deliver supplies and care for Union soldiers who she referred to as “her sons” and many other people makin gup the fabric of the community.

The cemetery is also included in the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom by the National Park Service.