CAMDEN, N.J. -- Evergreen Cemetery is located in the southeastern section of Camden at the intersection of Ferry and Mount Ephraim Avenues on the border with Woodlynne. It covers 85 acres and has been entangled in bankruptcy proceedings for years. Officially owned by no one, without any on-site employees or maintenance budget, it is wildly overgrown. Also see larger photo.

	The sprawling grounds are criss-crossed by a series of rutted roads. Many sections are covered with chest-high wild grasses, weeds and brambles. Individual graves are difficult to locate due to the difficulties involved in simply seeing the stone inscriptions or counting the number of rows. Also see larger photo.

	Evergreen's early history is an illustrious one. From 1850, when it was incorporated, until 1886 when the Victorian garden park Harleigh Cemetery opened, Evergreen was the city's most opulent and prestigious burial ground. Its ornate death architecture is typical of the post-Civil War period and it holds the remains of members of that era's most important families. Above, left, is the marker of a member of the Cooper family that founded the city. Also see larger photo.

	Locating grave sites can be a surreal experience in Evergreen during the summer months when dense growth covers almost everything except the tops of the taller monuments. Above, right, white marble Victorian grave markers shaped like caskets appear to be coffins abandoned in a vacant city lot. Also see larger photo.