Some say the old Pioneer & Military Memorial Park cemetery in downtown Phoenix is haunted. It is old, somewhat desolate, and grounds have been closed to burials since 1914. Maybe the haunting stems from the ancient burial ground that lies beneath the cemetery we see today. It could be the early Phoenix pioneers that walk the grounds late at night, or it could be the children—the little angels that met sad or tragic deaths in the early west.
Willie Meade was a six year old boy who resided with his grandfather and parents on South 6th Street near the M & P Railroad Depot. Willie suffered a severe case of scarlet fever which paralyzed his vocal chords, and destroyed his hearing when he was about four years old.
One afternoon in February 1900, the Santa Fe yard Engine #11 was switching some cars near the corner of 4th and Jackson Streets. Willie climbed on the cow catcher of the engine while it was standing still. He did not hear the engine fire up and start to move. When it slowly began to roll down the track, he either fell off –or attempted to jump off, but was caught under the heavy engine wheels. The cars and engine passed over the body, mangling it in the most horrible manner, yet there was not a scratch upon his head. The head and a little foot with a shoe was all that remained to indicate the fact that a human life had been destroyed.
The remains were tenderly gathered together by concerned bystanders and taken to the undertaker’s rooms and placed in a suitable casket. Willie’s freckled face partly covered with grime and crowned with red hair was peaceful, and even beautiful.
His mother, Sharlot, was disconsolate and her sobs pleaded for her son, refusing to be comforted. His father was working in Tucson and notified of the terrible tragedy. Mr. William Meade was a member of both the Foresters and Redmen, so the funeral was conducted with the help of these organizations.
Although the wheels of Engine #11 were stained with an innocent angel’s blood, the inquest panel concurred that since the little boy was deaf, the unfortunate accident was unavoidable. Willie Meade was the first person killed on the S F P & P tracks in or near Phoenix.
You can visit Willie Meade in the Rosedale section of the old Pioneer Cemetery at 14th Avenue and Jefferson. His gravestone describes his death—perhaps a warning to the other children who played in the railroad yards. “Willie Meade---Killed by the Cars”
Meet Willie Meade and other “Children of the Mourn” at the next Historical Walk in the Early Phoenix Cemeteries coming up on Saturday, MARCH 24, 2012 at the Pioneer & Military Memorial Park cemetery. This event is a fund raiser sponsored by the Pioneers’ Cemetery Association. Registration begins at 10:30am and the tour starts promptly at 11:00am. $10 adults--$5 children under 12
For more information:
Pioneers’ Cemetery Association www.azhistcemeteries.org pioneercem@yahoo.com
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For more information: Debe Branning nazanaza@aol.com
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