Concordia Cemetery - El Paso, Texas |
In May of 2011, I was on a business trip to El Paso when an acquaintance asked if I had seen this cemetery on my way into town. I had not seen it, and he proceeded to tell me how John Wesley Hardin was interred there and how the entire Cemetery looked run-down and forgotten - like the desert was trying, successfully, to reclaim the land - except for the Jewish section, which was lush and green and beautifully maintained. I simply had to see this for myself.
After finishing up for the day, I took some time off to rest, waiting for the sun to be low in the sky to achieve the effect I knew I wanted - and headed out in search of this jewel of the Southwest. My first impression was of the sheer scale of the site. It is immense - and segregated by denominations / cultural boundaries. Something I had never seen before. I immediately located the map for Concordia and made a beeline for John Wesley Hardin's resting place. From there, I explored the grounds at random, taking advantage of the light as long as possible. I was looking for the Jewish Section I had been told about and simply had no idea where it was until I realized the trees and bushes peeking up behind an enormous wall far in the distance had to be my destination. I made my way across the Cemetery and finally came to the wall. Most of this massive boundary is well above my head, so I made my way toward the entrance, where the wall is lower, and was astounded at the stark contrast between this section any other section of this historic site. The Jewish Section looks like the Garden of Eden dropped into the heart of a desert. |
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Established 1840 at Concordia Ranch by trader Hugh Stephenson on the Ascarate Land Grand and his wife, Juana Ascarate Stephenson.
The Church of San Juan de Concordia el Alto was built in 1850. and is recognized as the first church in El Paso. Mrs. Stephenson was the first burial in the Cemetery (1857) and an inscription is located in the French Section. |
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Map of Concordia Cemetery |
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Concordia Cemetery's fifty-tow acres are final resting places for over 60,000 residents of El Paso. The Cemetery is considered a premier Outdoor Museum of Monuments due to the wide variety of headstones and markers. The Cemetery was designated a Texas State Historical Cemetery in 2006, the first in El Paso County. |
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Some of the fascniating residents of Concordia Cemetery:
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John Wesley Hardin
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Buffalo Soldiers
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Mexican Revolutionary Figures
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Chinese Section
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Jewish Section
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Catholic Section
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Mormon Section
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Masonic Section
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Masonic Veterans Monument
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Jesuit Priests Section
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Grand Army Republic Veterans
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Oddfellows Section
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Infant Nursery (victims of the Influenza epidemic (1917-18)
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John Wesley Hardin's Grave |
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John Wesley Hardin
(May 26, 1853 - August 19, 1895)
Born in Bonham, Texas, John Wesley Hardin was named for the founder of Methodism. "Wes" Hardin grew into a family man, cowboy and outlaw who claimed to have killed more than 30 men. An unusual sort of gunslinger, Hardin considered himself a pillar of society who killed to save his own life. Hardin served 15 years in state prison for murder, was pardoned, then opened a law office in El Paso in May 1895. He was killed 3 months later by John Selman, and El Paso city Constable. |
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Gerardo Lujan white iron cross |
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Baby cradle monument - Cynthia Jimenez |
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Bare, wooden crosses |
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Stuffed animals adorn this grave |
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Faux flowers on a white cross |
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Vivid red crosses |
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Broken monument |
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Twised wire cross |
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Faux flowers and a wooden cross |
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The Jewish section is gorgeous |
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Morrison monument |
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Caples monument |
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Yucca spike reaches to the heavens |
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Wood and iron crosses |
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Wulfrano Ugales monument + green fence |
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Wrought iron fence and blue flower cross |
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White iron fenced grave |
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Wooden crosses in the sunset |
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Grackle on a tombstone |
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Grackle |
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Ring of stones |
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Antonio Cana Chacon wooden cross |
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Iron pipe cross |
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Cactus in the sunset |
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Clarette M. Kendall circle of stones |
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Pile of Stone |
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Damaged monument |
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Wooden cross and Yucca plant |
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Twisted metal cross |
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Pointing finger monument with stones |
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Wrought Iron fenced grave |
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Pink cross with rebar T V initials |
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Wrought Iron fenced grave |
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Painted pink monument |
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Another striking feature of Concordia is the use of vibrant blues and pinks on headstones and monuments. It appears to be painted onto a conventional tombstone for effect and can be found in abundance here. |
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Painted blue monument |
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Painted blue cross on monument |
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Painted blue monument |
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Faded wooden pink cross |
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Pink tombstone |
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Ornate iron cross |
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Jewish section |
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Massive "window" monument |
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Ornate blue iron cross |
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Caples family mausoleum |
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Lorenzo Mendoza white iron cross |
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Ornate wrought iron housing |
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All images © Copyright Warren Paul Harris
All Rights Reserved |
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