Others are missing altogether. Most are Endowment Care cemeteries, meaning that for every grave they sell, a percentage of the proceeds goes into a fund that will pay for and ensure upkeep for posterity. Of course, there are other ways for a cemetery to be preserved. The site of the former Agnews State Mental Hospital, along with its weedy, largely unmaintained cemetery that holds mostly casualties from the 1906 earthquake, was recently purchased by one of the wealthiest companies in the world, Sun Microsystems, to be its new campus. As part of the deal, Sun agreed to rehabilitate and repair the cemetery and then turn it over to the city.
Work is currently underway.
Photograph by George Sakkestad BACK IN New Almaden, beyond the old homes and historic structures, is the Almaden Quicksilver County Park. The park comes right to the edge of town and encompasses almost 4,000 acres, among which is one of most scenic and historic graveyards in the area, the Hidalgo Cemetery. The trailhead can be picked up down the street from the museum. The path is steep at first, and can be quite hot in summer. While there is cover off the trail, most of the walk is exposed to the sun.