Listed on the National Register in 2003, the cemetery had, already many years previous, fallen into a state of neglect, "a tangle of neglect and debris". It was a Helenan, Lucy Baker, who organized its cleanup and resurrection, culminating in her having it listed on the register.
Not long before the cleanup of the cemetery as initiated by Lucy Baker, a news article in the Helena Independent Record brought attention to the plight of the cemetery, doubtless aiding Baker in her campaign to begin the cleanup. Most of that article is reproduced below.
Restoration of Old Cemetery is Objective
May 17, 1964
"Gone But Not Forgotten." But many of the graves in the Benton Avenue Cemetery have been forgotten and others []have suffered from] the weather, earthquakes, vandalism, and neglect. The Knights of Pythias, Red Cross Chapter No. 32, has offered also one of the oldest in Montana. The burial area, which contains many of Helena's and Montana's pioneers, is a mess. Headstones are overturned and broken. Garbage piles have been dumped and burned. Weeds, bushes and grasses have grown rampant. And the iron fence, which surrounds the cemetery, as with most early burials in the Benton Avenue, is clouded in mystery as to its history and who is responsible for its upkeep.
Few Records Few records are available and those that are still intact are scant and incomplete. The cemetery apparently was started in the late 1960s, shortly alter the birth of Helena. The earliest grave that was located is marked 1867. The landmark has had many titles. Before Broadwater deeded the area to the county, it was known as the Helena Cemetery. Around 1888, it was called the Greenwood Cemetery. When the articles of incorporation for the Benton Avenue Cemetery Association were filed on June 22, 1922, it became the Benton Avenue Cemetery. Is the county still responsible for the cemetery's upkeep? Many area residents seem to think so, since the Benton Avenue Cemetery Association, set up under the county's auspices, has long been dissolved. The cemetery encompasses ten acres, an area 640 by 640. One-fourth — the northeast section - is set aside for members of the Early Pioneers. On a stroll through this historical site, one runs across many names of veterans of the Mexican, Civil and Spanish-American Wars, as well as those vigilantes and pioneers responsible for the bringing of law enforcement to the Last Chance Gulch diggings. The pictures of the gravestones on the left of this page indicate some of the famous persons buried in the Benton Avenue Cemetery. "Any single one of these individuals buried in the Benton Avenue Cemetery could serve as the subject for a western TV production," Bob Downs, historian for the Knights of Pythias, said.
Markers Destroyed The cemetery was used for Interment as late as 1963. The recent graves have been well cared for. The earlier graves — those having wooden markers — are illegible or destroyed. A fire caused by cleanup party burned many of the wooden markers.
"If each organization, such as the Elks, Eagles, Masons, and IOOF, would contribute to the workload of restoring the graves of their respective members, then this historical site will give the community a sense of pride rather than embarrassment. "There's charter members of each of these organitations interred at the Benton Avenue Cemetery. They are certainly deserving of this respect," Downs' added.
It will not be a pleasant duty. It's going to require some sweat and toil to make the restoration.
From the Helena Independent Record