The cemetery was established in 1885 at the southeast corner of Belmont and Hughes avenues, west of Fresno on land granted by Moses J. Church on December 2, 1885.[6][7] Church donated twenty acres to the Armenian community, but community leaders believed that they needed only ten acres.[4] Later the community had to buy additional land. It is believed that Mary Papazian, the second Armenian to die in Fresno, was the first to be buried there.[4]
On June 9, 1919, the Ararat Cemetery Association was established.[5][8] A fire in 1930 destroyed many of Ararat Cemetery records.[4] In 1956, with the efforts of the association, the cemetery expanded by acquiring a two-acre parcel of land beside the existing.[5] In 1969, further expansion was done and the cemetery was renamed Ararat Massis Cemetery.[4][5]
The cemetery features a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Armenian genocide. The memorial includes bones from unknown victims brought over from Der Zor, Syria.[4] The cemetery also features a memorial to Moses J. Church, the donor of the property.[4]
^Radanovich, George P. (September 17, 1996). "Tribute to Victor Maghakian"(PDF). United States Government. Congressional Record Volume 142; Number 128. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
^ abcdefgBulbulian, Berge (2000). The Fresno Armenians : history of a diaspora community. Fresno, CA: Press at California State University, Fresno. ISBN9780912201351.