Socorro Cemetery Evidence

By John Larson -- email: johnl@socorroisp.com
Mountain Mail Newspaper

SOCORRO, NM – Graves of 27 Confederate soldiers who died as a result of the Battle of Valverde in February of 1862 may be in the way of a road improvement project in Socorro.
According to Civil War historian Charles Mandeville, the alleged graves are in the vicinity of Blue Canyon Road and Peralta, and he has documented 27 names of Confederate dead.
Mandeville, in addressing the Socorro City Council Monday, said the graves are part of a cemetery which was in operation from 1853 to 1875. “There is evidence that a John Milton Shaw, a Methodist missionary from New York, apparently obtained the land in 1853 for a Protestant cemetery on that hill,” he said. “The Confederates established a hospital in Socorro at the site of Cooney's Liquors following the Battle of Valverde in 1862. In a two month period 27 soldiers died there. Based on writings from that period Mr. Shaw was a great help in ministering to the men, and was sympathetic to the Confederate wounded following the battle. It stands to reason that Mr. Shaw would offer burial space in the cemetery for those soldiers who died.” Furthermore, he said at least one grave has been discovered when the city installed water lines and a fire hydrant on Peralta St. “The medical investigator at the time, Floyd Turpin, said the remains and a portion of the wooden coffin was sent to the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator in Santa Fe,” Mandeville said.
Road work on Blue Canyon and Peralta is in progress, but if Mandeville can show evidence of human remains, the site should be protected and state archaeologists would be in control.
“Based on depressions in the graded dirt road, it appears that there are five graves in the roadway,” Mandeville said.
Utilities Director Jay Santillanes said he has no knowledge of graves. “That roadway has been excavated several times and we would've found something,” he said.
Mayor Ravi Bhasker said he had talked with Mandeville two years prior about the site, and that he had been waiting for Mandeville to move forward on the project before he took formal action on behalf of the city. The next step is to try to take aerial photos of the site with infra-red film. “That would tell us conclusively if there are existing graves up there,” he said. “We have a couple of weeks to try to get that arranged before the city starts paving. After it's paved infra-red photography wouldn't be possible.”
Mandeville said he met with Santillanes and City Clerk Pat Salome to discuss the issue Tuesday, and came to a compromise. “They offered to first work on curbs and gutters, and just a lay a base coat down on the roadway which wouldn't interfere with the aerial images.” Tuesday afternoon state Archeaologist Dr. Glenna Dean from the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Cultural Affairs and representatives from the Office of the Medical Investigator arrived in Socorro to examine the site. “When we went back Tuesday, the depressions in the roadway we thought might be grave sites had been filled in,” Mandeville said. “With those indicators covered up, Dr. Dean agreed to the compromise offered by Santillanes and that the next step would have to be aerial photgraphy.”
The lot adjacent to Peralta on the east side is suspected to be the location of the cemetery established by Shaw in 1853, which is thought to be the burial location of the bulk of the Confederate dead. Mandeville, a member of the New Mexico Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, believes that if can be proved that Confederate soldiers are buried there, “it would be the only Confederate Cemetery in the state of New Mexico. That would be something for the City of Socorro could be proud of.”

This image taken early in the week of 10/17/2004 clearly shows four grave-size depressions in the freshly graded road. In the image are Rogerio Baca (L) & Connie Peralta (R)

Image courtesy of John Larson -- Mountain Mail Newspaper

Jay called Steve Williams with Dennis Engineering and came down Tue. morning. SHPO. Told Jay that Dr. Glenna Dean of NM state archaeological office had already called and shut the project down. Said Glenna Dean was coming down here. Thank Pat for being willing to come up with an alternative to this. Blue Canyon Rd to Arroyo Drive. Office of Medical Investigators (OMI) with Glenna Dean were on scene. Graves were covered when he got there. Mrs. Mary Silva can't do anything with the property until the bodies are removed.
Neighbors were talking with Dean. Rogerio Baca, Connie Peralta. Neighbors. Larry Baca, Rogerio's son. Arturo Baca, brother of Rogerio. Ernesto Silva – what he had seen. Mid 60's - photo of hillside with fence. Cemetery was bladed down in the late 80s by Silva. In 1985 Ann Hilton Olson. She was 90 yrs old. What did she know about the cemetery. “As a little girl she and heard from old people in Socorro, that soldiers from the Battle of Valverde were buried in that cemetery.” 1905 letter from E.J. Hubbard who donated land for school of mines – saying he had found the graves of the 27 Confederate soldiers who died in NM campaign. Found 27 graves in a row.

ABQ Journal issue of 3/31/02 on the Socorro cemetery - Interviewed Bhasker – we've been waiting for Mandeville to “Push it” Met with Alan Wilson of CMC Construction, Jay and Steve Williams. Reiterated what he said to Glenna Dean and would accept compromise, and do an aerial survey.

Uploaded 10/28/2004