By Mary O’KEEFE

For most getting from point A to point B is simply following the straightest line, or using GPS guidance to determine the quickest route. But for others it is the space between the starting and ending points that is the most fascinating; that is the way historian Craig Durst looks at his Tujunga hometown.

Durst was searching for a way to get up to the Cross of San Ysido in Tujunga when he drove through a neighborhood where he found his perfect home. Ever since he has been excited to learn the history of the area.

For many years he was the historian at the Bolton Hall Historical Museum, so it is an understatement to say he knows a lot about the history of Sunland-Tujunga and the surrounding area. But he has now taken on a project that is rather daunting but something he is very passionate about: the restoration of the Verdugo Hills Cemetery.

“I started the Historic Verdugo Hills Cemetery Restoration and Renewal Project,” Durst said. “It is a three-part process.”

It is first important to understand the history of the cemetery that sits high on a hill above Tujunga. It was built in 1922 and its first “occupants” were Rev. James Wornom and his wife “Aunt” Jenny Wornom. This couple was well known in the area and traveled in a wagon, sharing the word of God and singing hymns.

Hiram Hatch was an early Little Landers resident – among those who moved to the area to form an agricultural garden city. Hatch was also among the very first to be buried at the Verdugo Hills Cemetery.
Durst said for years Hiram’s daughter Mable had taken on the caretaker role for the cemetery because her father, and later her brother, was buried there.

“As she got older she worried about who would take care of the cemetery,” Durst said. “She worried because there wasn’t any money to [maintain it] and she tried to turn it into a real cemetery.”

Durst found newspaper articles about a party Mable held where people could buy cemetery plots or donate directly to a fund. People could either donate $10 or use that as a down payment for a plot. She encouraged people to come to the cemetery and pick out their plots. They would be given a number and that number would be placed on a cement pillar. People would then come up to the cemetery, pick their plot and put the pillar in that area.

Throughout the years the cemetery has had its share of caretakers – and its share of very interesting events. At one point one of the caretakers opened up the area for apparent friends who turned it into a type of commune. Then there was, of course, the floods of 1978.

A tremendous storm battered the coast of Southern California.

“In Tujunga, a debris basin dam in Zachau Canyon burst under tremendous pressure and a 30-foot wall of water and mud roared into the streets below,” wrote Mike Lawler, historian and writer for CVW.

The ground beneath the Verdugo Hills Cemetery broke away and bodies buried there were carried by the flood down from the top of the hill to the houses, businesses and streets below.

For 99 years, the little cemetery and its resident souls have been through a lot, and now Durst wants to give them and the cemetery some well-deserved peace and respect.

The first part of his project is a restoration portion. This will include repairing the mausoleum.

“The restoration involves replacing all the travertine [tiles] that are broken,” Durst said.

The walls and general areas need to be refurbished, including repairing some gravesites. He also would like to have ongoing maintenance for the gardens in the area. He will accomplish this by offering specific garden areas to people who could volunteer to help keep it clean and healthy.

The renewal portion will include adding a veterans’ memorial section to the cemetery. This will be a way of honoring those veterans who are buried at the cemetery.

“I have a design,” he said. “It is called The Soldiers Stairway.”

He also has plans for a mural and a gazebo.

“A Boy Scout is doing his Eagle Project [at the cemetery],” he said.

The Boy Scout is creating a “Loved Ones Landing.” This area will have bricks with names of those who are buried at the cemetery.

“There are 2,200 people buried here but only 200 have headstones,” Durst said.

The bricks will have the names of those buried and the location of their plots.

The last part of the project culminates in a big centennial celebration in April 2022. Durst has big plans for this recognition that will include tours and, like they have done in the past, actors representing the history of the cemetery.

For Durst this project is more than just preserving history.

One day when he was raking leaves and cleaning the cemetery, he stepped back and thought about why he was doing this work … why this was important. He then got a sudden sense of the souls around him. He realized this was important for them, for their peace and for the respect of those who lived before.

There are a few ways to help this project, which is in need of funds and support. People can help with a donation by mailing checks to Little Landers Historical Society, P.O. Box 203, Tujunga, CA 91043. Please write VHC (Verdugo Hills Cemetery) 100 in the check memo.

People can also help by volunteering. The second Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. is a cleanup day at the Verdugo Hills Cemetery. This Saturday, May 8 is a cleanup day. Parking is limited, so carpooling is advised. The VHC is located at 7000 Parsons Trail Road in Tujunga.