MEMPHIS, Tenn. — One of the Mid-South iconic landmarks is now celebrating a century on Thursday Sept. 19, in Memphis.
The year was 1924. Dum Dum lollipops were just invented, the first winter Olympics happened in Chamonix, France, and Memorial Park opened in the Bluff City. The famous cemetery came to be after a fateful trip to Glendale, California, by founder E. Clovis Hinds.
“You didn’t feel all the eeriness, or the creepiness," said Norris Gray, a family service advisor. "What he introduced to this area was beauty, was rolling hills.”
With a legacy of celebrating life behind the stone wall on Poplar Avenue, those managing the cemetery will bury a time capsule for the next century to witness. Some of those items include programs from the well-known Easter Service in 1959, old ads, newsletters and more memories of years past.
“We have one of the original photos of the main gate,” said Hannah Moore, the managing partner of operations. “Over the course of the month, we have collected probably 50 different items, photos, that we have added to the capsule.”
100 years later, the beauty is still as real as ever. From the intricately designed graves to the famous Crystal Grotto people travel from across the country to see. Inside a cave lies the crystal wonderland designed by Dionicio Rodriguez, depicting the life of Jesus Christ.
Memorial Park still stands as a place of healing for families. More than 100,000 people are currently buried at the park, which according to management, still has acres being developed.
“While it’s a place that they shed a lot of tears, it’s also a place where they enjoy the beauty of nature,” Norris said.