The Old City Cemetery Committee formed in 1986 to restore and beautify the cemetery after vandalism, according to the Online Archive of California. The committee continues to organize tours and events and support preservation work at the site.
The cemetery was established in 1849 on 10 acres donated by Captain John Sutter, according to the committee’s history timeline. The grounds include a mass grave for more than 600 victims of the 1850 cholera epidemic. The timeline describes the cemetery as spanning roughly 30.44 acres and holding more than 25,000 people.
Lantern Tours ticket proceeds help repair broken and unstable monuments and support educational and beautification efforts, the Old City Cemetery Committee says. The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the committee.
Funding and maintenance
The Old City Cemetery Committee describes itself as a public-benefit nonprofit devoted to the cemetery’s preservation, beautification and maintenance, according to the committee. Its description does not give a figure for how much Sacramento provides for monument maintenance or repairs apart from tour proceeds.
This year’s tours took place on October 9, 10, 16 and 17, and tickets sold out in just over 10 hours, CBS Sacramento reported. The committee’s tour page lists the event as sold out and says refunds may become available periodically.
