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Charleston Cemetery
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| Abandoned Cemetery at Charleston, 1920. (PHOTO COURTESY/Fort Huachuca Museum) |
By W. Lane Rogers/For the Arizona Range News
Scribbled beneath this 1920 photograph is a caption that reads, "Headboard to left is that of Stewart. Killed by Indians in Huachuca Mts. 1884."
On an outing from Fort Huachuca, this trio of unidentified soldiers hiked through a dense mesquite bosque to a clearing overlooking the San Pedro River where sat the crumbling remains of Charleston. Apparently, they determined that the vandal ridden and much abused cemetery was an appropriate spot to capture by Kodak the desolation of the area. Note the bullet holes in Stewart's grave marker, the fence post leaning precariously and the fence boards scattered about the ground.
By 1920, Charleston was a ghost town largely reclaimed by the elements. From its birth as a tent camp in 1879, to its brief maturity as a clapboard and adobe town, it endured a mixed reputation.
Situated on the west bank of the San Pedro River, some nine miles southwest of Tombstone, Charleston was a milling town for the Tombstone mines. Not unlike Tombstone's silver bonanza, it came and went in the blink of an eye.
In 1886, the mines supplying Charleston's livelihood flooded and operations ceased. The next year an earthquake leveled portions of the town. In 1889, the post office was moved to Fairbank. The final blow came during World War II when the town, or what was left of it, was dressed as an enemy village and shot to pieces by infantrymen from Fort Huachuca.
Charleston has been mythologized as a haven for outlaws where lead flew with predictable regularity. Never mind hard working laborers who kept its mill operating day and night, its reputation is laced with booze and bawdy women, gambling joints and six-shooters.
In 1882, during the town's heyday, the Tombstone Epitaph took exception, noting that Charleston "is well regulated and free from turmoil; in fact, it is one of the most peaceful places we were ever in."
Whatever Charleston was or was not, it is no more. In June 1889, the Tombstone Prospector penned its obituary. "[The town] possesses none of its old-time appearance now. The sidewalks, awnings, roofs, doors and partitions in the large spacious stores that were once filled with thousands of dollars worth of goods, have been taken down and used for firewood. Not a store exists there now."
When a soldier snapped this photo, the cemetery was no less lively than the town itself.
On an outing from Fort Huachuca, this trio of unidentified soldiers hiked through a dense mesquite bosque to a clearing overlooking the San Pedro River where sat the crumbling remains of Charleston. Apparently, they determined that the vandal ridden and much abused cemetery was an appropriate spot to capture by Kodak the desolation of the area. Note the bullet holes in Stewart's grave marker, the fence post leaning precariously and the fence boards scattered about the ground.
By 1920, Charleston was a ghost town largely reclaimed by the elements. From its birth as a tent camp in 1879, to its brief maturity as a clapboard and adobe town, it endured a mixed reputation.
Situated on the west bank of the San Pedro River, some nine miles southwest of Tombstone, Charleston was a milling town for the Tombstone mines. Not unlike Tombstone's silver bonanza, it came and went in the blink of an eye.
In 1886, the mines supplying Charleston's livelihood flooded and operations ceased. The next year an earthquake leveled portions of the town. In 1889, the post office was moved to Fairbank. The final blow came during World War II when the town, or what was left of it, was dressed as an enemy village and shot to pieces by infantrymen from Fort Huachuca.
Charleston has been mythologized as a haven for outlaws where lead flew with predictable regularity. Never mind hard working laborers who kept its mill operating day and night, its reputation is laced with booze and bawdy women, gambling joints and six-shooters.
In 1882, during the town's heyday, the Tombstone Epitaph took exception, noting that Charleston "is well regulated and free from turmoil; in fact, it is one of the most peaceful places we were ever in."
Whatever Charleston was or was not, it is no more. In June 1889, the Tombstone Prospector penned its obituary. "[The town] possesses none of its old-time appearance now. The sidewalks, awnings, roofs, doors and partitions in the large spacious stores that were once filled with thousands of dollars worth of goods, have been taken down and used for firewood. Not a store exists there now."
When a soldier snapped this photo, the cemetery was no less lively than the town itself.
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