There’s something so hauntingly beautiful about a historic cemetery. Knowing that the bodies of those who lived and died long before we were ever born are now lying right beneath our feet is a creepy feeling, to say the least. Home of Peace Cemetery in Helena was founded way back in 1867, before Montana even became a state. The cemetery was originally designed as a Hebrew cemetery. The Jewish population in Montana is now quite small, so this is a fascinating artifact of a time when there were far more Jewish residents in Big Sky Country than there are now.
The Home of Peace Cemetery was started by the local chapter of the Hebrew Benevolent Society.
stephen black/Google Maps It’s the oldest active cemetery in Helena and one of the oldest in the entire state.
Today, the Jewish population in Montana is less than 0.1% of the state’s total population, but back in the 1860s, Jewish immigrants from Germany and Prussia were common.
stephen black/Google Maps Montana’s population was booming at the time due to the Montana Gold Rush.
In 1916, the Hebrew Benevolent Society voted to allow non-Jewish burials in the Home of Peace Cemetery.
Montanabw/Wikimedia Commons However, the majority of the burials here are those of Jewish Montanans.
No grave markers from the cemetery’s first few years remain now. The oldest standing marker in Home of Peace Cemetery is Hattie Jacobs, who passed away in 1873.
stephen black/Google Maps
The Helena Jewish population was once so active that the city was home to the first Jewish synagogue constructed between Minnesota and Oregon.
Montanabw/Wikimedia Commons The Temple Emanu-El (pictured) was completed in 1891.
Interestingly, the Jewish population of Montana has declined so much in recent years that there are now more Jewish people buried in the Home of Peace Cemetery than there are currently living in Helena.
Montanabw/Wikimedia Commons This is such a unique cemetery in Montana that is a reminder of the past!
Have you ever visited the Home of Peace Cemetery in Montana? Share your experiences in the comments!
stephen black/Google Maps
It’s the oldest active cemetery in Helena and one of the oldest in the entire state.
Montana’s population was booming at the time due to the Montana Gold Rush.
Montanabw/Wikimedia Commons
However, the majority of the burials here are those of Jewish Montanans.
The Temple Emanu-El (pictured) was completed in 1891.
This is such a unique cemetery in Montana that is a reminder of the past!
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Address: Home of Peace Cemetery, 252 Brady St, Helena, MT 59601, USA
