Tempe Historic Property Survey

Tempe resident and Arizona Governor Howard Pyle called Double Butte Cemetery "Tempe's Arlington" because of the many prominent early Tempe families buried there. These include Hayden, Miller, Gregg, Moeur, Laird, and Gililland, to name a few. The cemetery was started on September 13, 1887, when a group of citizens formed the Tempe Cemetery Association. Land owner Niels Petersen donated the property for the cemetery in 1888. Other prominent Tempe residents associated with the management of the cemetery include Joseph Birchett, who landscaped and organized the property in the 1920s, and E. P. Carr, Sr., who served on the cemetery board for many years. The cemetery was turned over to the City of Tempe's management in 1958; in 1998, the city turned the cemetery over to a private management firm.  The city resumed management of the cemetery in 2000.

Dating from 1888, the Double Butte Cemetery is an excellent example of 19th century planning of cemeteries in the Salt River Valley. Much of the early landcaping remains in the form of tree-lined avenues. Carved standing headstones are significant for their artistry and craftsmanship. Furthermore, the cemetery is significant as an important element of the physical dvelopment of Tempe as a community.

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