A memorial wall honoring poor immigrants and others from the last century, whose remains and artifacts were discovered in unmarked graves outside
The burial sites, some dating to the 1880’s – were located in what was a potter’s field. Metro did exhaustive historical research to try to identify the remains –many of them Chinese immigrants –and locate modern day relatives with limited success. However, the human remains and artifacts will be reburied inside
The burial sites, some dating to the 1880’s – were located in what was a potter’s field. Metro did exhaustive historical research to try to identify the remains –many of them Chinese immigrants –and locate modern day relatives with limited success. However, the human remains and artifacts will be reburied inside
Many of the deceased were Chinese immigrant laborers who were denied burial in
“When our construction crews found the human remains and artifacts in the forgotten potter’s field, we did the right thing. Work was immediately stopped. Then we painstakingly preserved what we found and tried to find the descendents,” said Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board Chair Ara Najarian. “Our project Ad Hoc Subcommittee worked for years with community organizations to decide what would be the best way to show respect to the deceased and what should be done with the remains and artifacts. Today, I am pleased that we are honoring these early laborers who helped build
The Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension, which opened on November 15, 2009, began construction in July 2004. The new extension is a six-mile extension to East Los Angeles via Little Tokyo/Arts District and
"I applaud the Ad Hoc Subcommittee's dedicated efforts in overseeing this project and I, along with the community, truly appreciate the hours of meetings, site visits and deliberations that took place to ensure the remains were reburied in a dignified, historically significant and respectful manner," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina.
On June 22, 2005, construction crews at First and Lorena streets who were widening
“Today reminds us that in the City of
Metro immediately suspended construction and brought in an archeologist to do historic research, document all discoveries and try to locate next of kin.
There were approximately 174 burial sites and countless artifacts such as buttons, coffin hardware, Chinese and American artifacts, clothing items, combs, glasses, Chinese porcelain, opium pipes, and other pieces, some dating back about a century.
Established in 1877,
At its inception,
A portion was designated for Chinese burials which, because of discrimination, were prohibited in
The Chinese community erected a memorial shrine there in 1888, which is now a
Part of the archaeological work was the identification of remains and artifacts. Metro staff made an extraordinary effort to locate next-of-kin. One was T.E. Buzbee whose grave marker was recovered from the area of the potter’s field discovered during Metro’s construction. Buzbee was born on August 12, 1865 and died at age 17 on February 01, 1883. He is believed to have run away from his
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Jose Ubaldo/Marc Littman
Metro Media Relations
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