Long-awaited plans for a Chinese memorial and historical
site in the southwest corner of Lone Fir Cemetery have received enthusiastic
endorsements from the Portland Historical Landmarks Commission and Chinese
Americans who helped with the plans.
The one-block section of the historic pioneer cemetery, known
as Block 14, served as a Chinese burial ground from the 1860s to the late
1950s. It was bulldozed for the construction of a Multnomah
County building erected in 1952, and it wasn’t until that building was
demolished that details resurfaced about its history as a Chinese burial site.
Historic plaques proposed for the site will describe the
importance of Chinese labor in Portland’s development as well as racism that
barred further immigration and land ownership.
Chinese workers played major roles in the region’s mining and railroad
construction.
“The Block 14 Memorial is intended to honor marginalized
people buried at Lone Fir and authentically share their stories, while striving
to create a space that will foster understanding and healing,” wrote Gary
Shepherd, a lawyer for Metro, the public agency that oversees the cemetery.
Close to 2,900 Chinese were buried on the block. Of those, remains of some 700 men were
repatriated to China in accord with traditional custom. Most of the other remains – the exact number
not known – were of woman and children.
 |
| Funerary burner and alter (Oregon Historical Society phto) |
An altar and funerary burner were erected on the block by
the Chinese in the 1870s, but were destroyed by the 1950s. No remains of them have been found. The location of the altar will be recognized
in the proposed design.
Plans call for the original entrance of the block to be
restored between two stone columns located north of the intersection of SE 20th
Ave. and Morrison St. A memorial
pavilion near the entry would hold 3,000 metallic spiritual tablets representing
people buried there. Some will be
identified by name, but many will be nameless because their names were never
recorded by cemetery officials at the time.
 |
| Proposed memorial pavilion |
An arching footpath will traverse across raised ground from
the west entry to the eastern side of the block. New soil will be added to create the mound so
as not to bother any gravesides. The
meadow will be planted with gingko and yulan magnolia trees and perennial
shrubs. Michael Yun, a landscape
architect, said the magnolias provide beautiful white flowers in the spring and
gingkoes add dramatic color in the fall.
Both species have long histories in the Chinese culture.
The proposed plan presented to the Landmarks Commission
represented a 30 percent stage of design.
The commission unanimously supported the plan, using terms such as “lovely”
and “wonderful.” Details about a
starting and completion date are not yet known.
----Fred Leeson
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