Clampers assist in cemetery cleanup

By DAVID SCHOLZ
Martinez Tribune

MARTINEZ, Calif. – Grave marker No. 525 is back where it belongs.

Like with the care of a newborn, the non-descript headstone was respectfully set and lovingly secured with dirt to its rightful original place among the numerous other unnamed souls of “God’s Acre’’ in the Potters Field section of Alhambra Cemetery.

“It’s home,’’ said a satisfied Eric “Alice’’ Schrepel of Antioch, president of E Clampus Vitus, of the small yet important act of kindness that he and fellow Clampers achieved Saturday morning after discovering the discarded marker under a nearby palm tree.

Last Saturday, the Clampers, a philanthropic fraternal organization, and their fellow volunteers with the Potters Field Restoration Project, again made their trek up Carquinez Scenic Drive with racks, brooms, and hefty bags in hand to give badly needed TLC to the expansive cemetery that overlooks the city, the Carquinez Strait and the Martinez Regional Shoreline.

Since 1980, the Clampers, whose history dates back to the Gold Mining era in California when its miner membership served the needs of widows and orphans, have come every Spring and Fall (October) for this semi-annual cleanup effort.

Ex Nobel Grand (former president and Humbug) Carter Wilson, of Martinez, said the group started as a mock version of the Masons who did not think the miners were worthy of joining their seemingly more elite brethren. To this day, the important work of serving kids continues with the Clampers’ annual toy drive.

The Clampers, formally known as the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus (ECV) are dedicated to the study and preservation of the heritage of the American West, especially the history of the Mother Lode and gold mining regions of the area.

Schrepel called the group “casual historians.’’

“You don’t know where you are going if you don’t know where you have been,’’ he said, and these visits to tidy up the cemetery provide that opportunity to reconnect with the past.

Similar motivation for the important work taking place was expressed by Carol Wiley, who with her husband Harlan Strickland, a member of the city’s Cemetery Commission, also were contributing to the labor of love among some of the marked graves.

“We’ve been doing this for a while,’’ she said with a smile, not knowing precisely how many years over the decades they have lent a hand.

She recalled a young man who saw her working and expressed his appreciation for the effort.

“I hope you take care of my grave that way someday,’’ he said to her, adding quickly with a smile that he hoped it wouldn’t be for a long time.

Asked of the surprises or discoveries she has made over the years as she has tirelessly bagged tree limb debris that had covered the graves, Wiley cited the babes that have been laid to rest.

“You can’t believe the number of infants who are buried here,’’ she said with a bowed head.

The history of the Alhambra Cemetery with its notable individuals also includes a Chinese funerary burner, located at the far end of the cemetery, which is a cultural fixture of the Chinese immigrants who helped forge the Bay Area’s historic past. The burner is now being rebuilt by the Potter Field Restoration Project, a community endeavor of the Martinez Historical Society. Burners, usually made of brick and quite tall, were common in gold mining regions, and not used for cremations but for burning papers or offerings – spiritual tributes – to the gods.

Joseph Palmer, a member of the Historic Society, said the Potters Field Restoration Project started a year ago, and he noted a difference is already being seen.

“It’s a thousand percent better than it was,’’ he said, encouraging visits to the photo gallery on the www.martinezcemetery.org website to see the work that has been accomplished so far.

Ahead of the Clampers’ revisit in October to brush away the leaves, branches, and dust that have collected throughout the cemetery during the summer months, the public is invited to assist in the Potters Field Restoration Project in June. Palmer said volunteers will start meeting the second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to continue upkeep of the Potters Field section of the Alhambra Cemetery.

All are welcome to join in these clean-up efforts. Just show up with work gloves and comfortable shoes, say organizers. And, in the process, participants will be paying their respects to those who shaped Martinez’s local history and even that of the United States.