Union Cemetery (Redwood City, California)

Union Cemetery
Memorial Day ceremonies at the Civil War memorial.
Union Cemetery
Union Cemetery
Union Cemetery
Location316 Woodside Rd., Redwood City, California
Coordinates37°28′26″N 122°13′24″W / 37.4738267°N 122.2232990°W / 37.4738267; -122.2232990[3]
Area6.5 acres (2.6 ha)
Built1859 (1859)
NRHP reference No.83001237[1]
CHISL No.816[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 25, 1983
Designated CHISL1967

Union Cemetery is a historic cemetery on Woodside Road (CA 84) near El Camino Real in Redwood City, San Mateo County, California. The cemetery was named a California Historical Landmark #816 in 1967, then added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[4]

History

Founded in 1859, this is the site of the first American burial ground in San Mateo County, and was originally located just outside the town limits of Redwood City.[5][4] The cemetery officially closed in 1918, but it was used for many years after that for burial of the poor.[5] There are special cemetery plots for the Masonic Order, members of the International Order of Odd Fellows and the California volunteers who fought during the Civil War.[5]

Soldier statue

The life-sized metal sculpture of a civil war veteran was erected during 1889 for a Memorial Day celebration, the earliest such celebration on the Peninsula.[5] The statue was paid for by Jane Lathrop Stanford.[6] It was vandalized in 1958, 1959 and 1969, but was subsequently repaired, and in 1999 it was replaced with a replica constructed of more durable material.[5][6]

Notable graves

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System – Union Cemetery (#83001237)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  2. ^ "Union Cemetery". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  3. ^ "Union Cemetery". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. April 6, 1998. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  4. ^ a b "National Register #83001237: Union Cemetery in Redwood City, California". NoeHill Travels in California. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e Svanevik, Michael; Burgett, Shirley (June 1, 2017). "Matters Historical: Why Union Cemetery is a California Historical Landmark". The Mercury News. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Levy, Joan (May 31, 2004). "Guarding Union Cemetery again". San Mateo Daily Journal. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  7. ^ Baxter, R. Scott; Allen, Rebecca; Hylkema, Mark G. (August 2007). "Cooley Landing Cultural Resource Inventory and Assessment" (PDF). Palo Alto Online. Past Forward, Inc.
  8. ^ "John Sears". Historic Union Cemetery. Redwood City Democrat. June 20, 1907. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  9. ^ Staiger, Steve. "Sarah Wallis: A 20th-century life in the 19th century". Palo Alto Online. Retrieved April 3, 2021.