{"nrhp_refnum":"11000997","name":"Pioneer Cemetery","other_names":["Evans Center Cemetery"],"category":"site","location":{"address":"W. side of N. Main St. between Gold St. & Beach Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Evans Center","county":"Erie County","state":"NY","lat":42.65509619800008,"lon":-79.03522349599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2012-01-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small, less-than-one-acre town-owned burial ground on the west side of North Main Street in the hamlet of Evans Center, Town of Evans, Erie County, New York. Its first burial was in 1810, and the land was deeded to the town in 1844.","why_significant":"The cemetery is tied to the settlement and development of Evans Center, one of the earliest communities in the town, and holds the graves of many prominent early settlers. It also contains at least three Revolutionary War veterans, at least ten Civil War veterans, and the grave of folk sculptor Asa Ames. It is significant under Criterion A in Exploration/Settlement and Social History.","narrative":"Pioneer Cemetery, also called Evans Center Cemetery, is a small burial ground of under one acre on North Main Street in Evans Center, Erie County, New York. Its first burial, in 1810, was that of two-year-old Sawyer Barrell, and the land was deeded to the Town of Evans in 1844. Burials continued until 1928, with the largest number in the 1850s. About 300 names have been inventoried. Most graves have simple tablet headstones, and six family plots have large obelisks. The hilly, naturalistic site has no paths, fence or structures. The cemetery records the settlement of Evans Center, an early community that lost its prominence after the railroad shifted the town's center to Evans Station. Buried here are many early settlers, including members of the Ayers family, three Revolutionary War veterans and at least ten Civil War veterans. Also interred is Asa Ames (1824-1850), a folk artist who carved wooden portrait sculptures now held in several museum collections.","period_of_significance":"1810-1928","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Still a cemetery. The site is somewhat overgrown, and many of the oldest markers are weathered, fallen or damaged.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:48.885298-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/11000997.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000997/f31faa6663-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000997/f31faa6663-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pioneer_Cemetery_Apr_12.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pioneer_Cemetery_Apr_12.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317675","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Cemetery_(Evans,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7196657"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/erie-county/pioneer-cemetery-11000997/"}