Entry No. 8 — the Helena file — filed under: haunted
Benton Avenue Cemetery
Established in 1870, this ten-acre Protestant burial ground is Helena's oldest, with some graves moved here in 1875 from the original mining-camp cemetery dating to the 1860s gold-rush years. It holds the city's pioneer dead, including first mayor John Kinna, Reeder's Alley builder Louis Reeder, and Edwin Toole, brother of Montana's first governor. Listed on the National Register in 2003, it is quietly tended by a volunteer association and free to wander.
The story
In 1870, Lewis and Clark County commissioners set aside ten acres along Benton Avenue, right across from what is now Carroll College, to bury the town's Protestant dead. But the land's history was already shifting beneath the dirt. In 1875, workers dug up Helena's original 1860s mining-camp cemetery and moved the bodies here. Walk the unpaved rows and you'll spot headstones marked as early as 1867—carved back when Last Chance Gulch was still a muddy placer mining camp standardizing into a permanent town.
The names etched into these weathered markers aren't abstract historical figures; they're the people who laid down Helena's floorboards. John Kinna, the city's very first mayor, is buried here. So is Louis Reeder, the stonemason who put up the brick and stone quarters at Reeder's Alley to house gold prospectors. Nearby lies Edwin Toole, brother to Montana's first governor. If you know Helena's downtown street grid, reading these gravestones feels less like looking at history and more like reading the city's original master blueprint.
By the late 20th century, the grounds were falling into disrepair, prompting the volunteer Benton Avenue Cemetery Association to reorganize in 1998 and take over preservation. Their labor secured the site a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Today, it remains an open, unvarnished ten-acre plot maintained without city payrolls, quietly sitting in the shadow of Mount Helena.
What it's like
Find the cemetery directly across from Carroll College at the corner of Benton Avenue and Clarke Street. There are no ticket booths or velvet ropes; you simply walk in. The best time to visit is at golden hour, when low sunlight cuts across the grass and highlights the faint, hand-carved lettering on 1860s and 1870s headstones. Keep in mind this site relies entirely on a volunteer association for upkeep, so stay on established paths and double-check open hours before you pull up.
The move: Walk the rows at golden hour reading the 1860s-70s headstones and tracing the names back to the streets they built.
- 📍 Helena
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: Benton Ave & Clarke St, Helena, MT 59601
Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Gulch Distillers — After walking among the 1860s pioneer graves, head south toward Last Chance Gulch for spirits distilled locally from Montana grain.
- Windbag Saloon & Grill — Pair a quiet walk through early Helena history with a drink inside an 1882 building that once housed a vaudeville hall and brothel.
- The Rathskeller at the Montana Club — Follow up the graves of Helena's early civic leaders with a cocktail in the basement speakeasy of a private club founded in 1885.
- Grandstreet Theatre — Continue your tour of turn-of-the-century Helena at this 1901 granite Romanesque landmark that started as a Unitarian church.
Good to know
Is there an admission fee?
No, the cemetery is free to enter and wander.
Where is the cemetery located?
It sits at Benton Ave & Clarke St in Helena, directly across the street from Carroll College.
Who are some notable people buried here?
The grounds hold Helena's first mayor John Kinna, Reeder's Alley builder Louis Reeder, and Edwin Toole, brother of Montana's first governor.
Why do some headstones predate the cemetery's 1870 founding?
In 1875, graves were relocated here from Helena's original 1860s gold-rush mining camp cemetery, including markers dating back to at least 1867.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · historicmt.org · montanahistoriclandscape.com · npgallery.nps.gov · Official site · southwestmt.com
last checked: 2026-06-24