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El Carmelo Cemetery is located at the north east corner of Lighthouse and Asilomar Avenues, directly across from the Pt. Pinos Lighthouse. The cemetery grounds are open from dawn until dusk.
El Carmelo Cemetery has been part of Pacific Grove's history since the 1800s. For nearly two centuries the City has maintained and cherished this final resting place. The oldest section of the cemetery has wooden markers and upright monuments located amidst stately pines and cypresses. The more recent sections are park-like settings with engraved markers placed flush with the grass. The beautiful Pacific Grove Golf Links borders the cemetery on two sides.
The first map of the El Carmelo Cemetery was made in 1890. While the City of Pacific Grove is the current owner and operator of the cemetery, ownership changed a number of times in the early 1900s. Prior owners included the El Carmelo Cemetery Association, Hind Harper, the Pacific Improvement Company, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
According to the March 6, 1906 edition of the Pacific Grove Daily Review, the Odd Fellows ownership would not be exclusively for deceased lodge members and their relatives, but would be open to all. The review went on to state that "those desiring to have their lots cared for should make application to the lodge, the charge being from 25 cents to 50 cents per month for this service." Today, a one-time Endowment fee at the time of purchase pays for current and future care of the plots.
Many of Pacific Grove's founding families occupy the cemetery: Jewell, Berwick, Olmsted, Paul, Dyke, to name a few. At the center of the Cemetery, near the canon, is the Grand Army of the Republic section where Union Veterans of the Civil War are buried.
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