Oak Hill Memorial Park is a cemetery in San Jose,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

cemetery in California. Oak Hill is the northernmost hill in the San Juan Bautista Hills of

South San Jose South San Jose is the southern region of San Jose, California. The name "South Side" refers to an area bounded roughly by Hillsdale Avenue and Capitol Expressway to the North, Camden Avenue to the West, Highway 101 and Hellyer Avenue on the east ...

History

Great Mausoleum of Oak Hill Memorial Park 2697

Oak Hill Memorial Park (4186667743) (cropped)

The cemetery's origins date back to 1839, during the Mexican period of California, when city officials of the

Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe San Jose, California, is the third largest city in the state, and the largest of all cities in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California, with a population of 1,021,795. Site chosen by Anza For thousands of years before the arrival of E ...

began to bury the dead on the northern side of the San Juan Bautista Hills, in modern-day

.Cemetery Travel - Cemetery of the Week: Oak Hill Memorial Park
/ref> It was known simply as the Pueblo Graveyard.Dignity Memorial - Oak Hill Memorial Park
/ref> In 1847, following the American

Conquest of California The Conquest of California, also known as the Conquest of Alta California or the California Campaign, was an important military campaign of the Mexican–American War carried out by the United States in Alta California (modern-day California), t ...

, surveyor Chester Lyman, along with William Fisher of

Rancho Laguna Seca Rancho Laguna Seca was a Mexican land grant in present-day Monterey County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to Catalina M. Munrás. "Laguna Seca" means "Dry Lake" in Spanish, referring to the seasonal lake, Laguna Seca. The ...

, laid out an official city cemetery on a nearby tract, which was simply known as the Pueblo Cemetery, until 1858, when it was renamed to Oak Hill Cemetery (Oak Hill being the northernmost hill of the San Juan Bautista Hills where the cemetery is laid out). When the city sold the cemetery to A.J. Hocking in 1933, its name was changed for the final time to Oak Hill Memorial Park. The Hocking family's tenure of ownership of the cemetery was marked by the construction of new mausoleums, notably the Azalea and Parkview Terraces, as well as the construction of the Fountain of the Apostles and the Chapel of the Oaks. In 1986, Oak Hill was finally sold to

Dignity Memorial Service Corporation International is an American provider of funeral goods and services as well as cemetery property and services. It is headquartered in Neartown, Houston, Texas, and operates secondary corporate offices in Jefferson (New Orle ...

Landmarks

Community Mausoleum at Oak Hill Memorial Park 2669

Chapel of Roses at Oak Hill 2657 (cropped)

The Great Mausoleum is the most notable landmark at Oak Hill. It built in a historic Romanesque

Spanish Revival The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In the ...

architecture. The Sunrise Hill Cross is located atop of Sunrise Hill, the small summit just next to Oak Hill. The Fountain of the Apostles features twelve marble statues of the Apostles of Christ surrounding the inner font. The cemetery has an Overland Pioneers Memorial to early American settlers of the

Santa Clara Valley The Santa Clara Valley is a geologic trough in Northern California that extends 90 miles (145 km) south–southeast from San Francisco to Hollister. The longitudinal valley is bordered on the west by the Santa Cruz Mountains and on the east ...

. There is a plot dedicated to members of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

Notable interments

Japanese Columbarium of Oak Hill Memorial Park 2681 (cropped)

Oak Hill Memorial Park (4187394920) (cropped)

Great Mausoleum of Oak Hill Memorial Park 2692 (cropped)

Numerous notable persons are interred at Oak Hill: *

Richard Amory Richard Amory (October 18, 1927, Halfway, OR – August 1, 1981, San Jose, CA), born Richard Wallace Love, was an American writer. He obtained a bachelor's degree in sociology from Ohio State University, a M.A. in Spanish from San Francisco State U ...

(1927–1981), writer, author of ''Song of the Loon'' (1966) *

Frank Arellanes Frank Julián Arellanes h-ray-yah'-ness(January 28, 1882 – December 13, 1918) was an American professional baseball starting pitcher. He played three seasons in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox from 1908 through 1910. Listed at ...

(1882–1918), baseball player * Esto Bates Broughton (1890–1956), one of the first four women elected to the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

Sylvia Browne Sylvia Celeste Browne (''née'' Shoemaker; October 19, 1936 – November 20, 2013) was an American author who claimed to be a medium with psychic abilities. She appeared regularly on television and radio, including on ''The Montel William ...

(1936–2013), psychic medium * Earl Butler, founder of

Butler Amusements Butler Amusements is a company that supplies rides, games, food, and beverages to various state and local fairs on the west coast of the United States. History In 1960 George "Bud" Butler started collecting games and rides with his son Earl "But ...

* Hal Chase (1883–1947), baseball player * John Smith Chipman (1800–1869), U.S. Congressman * Sara J. Dorr (1855–1924), temperance activist * Bernice C. Downing (1878–1940), the first women in California to publish their own newspaper, the ''Santa Clara Journal'' * Nellie Blessing Eyster (1836–1922), writer and social reformer *

Arthur M. Free Arthur Monroe Free (January 15, 1879 – April 1, 1953) was an American lawyer and politician who served six terms as a United States representative from California from 1921 to 1933. Biography He was born in San Jose, California and graduated ...

(1879–1953), U.S. Congressman *

Elizabeth Eleanor D’Arcy Gaw Elizabeth Eleanor D'Arcy Gaw (May 4, 1868 – November 12, 1944) was a prominent Arts and Crafts artist whose style influenced her former business partner Dirk van Erp and noted architect Lawrence Buck. She was the president of the California Gu ...

(1868–1944), artist * Levi Goodrich (1822–1887), architect *

Brooke Hart Brooke Hart (June 11, 1911 – November 9, 1933) was the eldest son of Alexander Hart, the owner of the L. Hart & Son department store in downtown San Jose, California, United States. His kidnapping and murder were heavily publicized, and the su ...

(1911–1933), kidnapping and murder victim (son of businessman Alexander Hart) * Everis Anson Hayes (1855–1942), U.S. Congressman *

Ren Kelly Reynolds Joseph "Ren" Kelly (November 18, 1899 – August 24, 1963) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played in one game for the Philadelphia Athletics on September 18, 1923. In that game, he pitched seven innings in reli ...

(1899–1963), baseball player *

Sarah Knox-Goodrich Sarah L. Knox-Goodrich (1825–1903) was a women's rights activist who worked for women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change vo ...

(1825–1903), women's rights activist * Sarah Massey Overton (1850–1914), African-American and women's rights activist * William Penn Lyon (1822–1913), Chief Justice of the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

, Civil War General (

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

) *

Paul Masson Paul Masson (1859 – October 22, 1940) was an early pioneer of California viticulture known for his brand of Californian sparkling wine. Biography Masson emigrated from the Burgundy region of France in 1878 (at the age of 19) to Californ ...

(1859–1940), early California vintner * Charles Henry McKiernan (1825–1892), early settler in the

Santa Cruz Mountains The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central and Northern California, United States. They form a ridge down the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco. They separate the Pacific Ocean from ...

* John McNaught (1849-1938), early journalist and writer * Emelie Melville (1852–1932), American actress *

Norman Mineta Norman Yoshio Mineta ( ja, 峯田良雄, November 12, 1931 – May 3, 2022) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Mineta served in the United States Cabinet for Presidents Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and George W. Bush, a ...

(1931-2022),

United States Secretary of Transportation The United States secretary of transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secre ...

José Noriega Don José Noriega (March 19, 1796 - May 30, 1869) was a Spanish-born Californio ranchero and politician. He served as Alcalde of San José (mayor) and was a prominent landowner in the Bay Area. Biography Noriega was born on 19 March 1796 in ...

(1796–1869), Alcalde of San José *

Benjamin Raborg Benjamin O'Fallan Raborg (1871-1918) was an American artist. Raborg was born in Sulphur Springs, Missouri in 1871. His parents were Franklin Raborg and Sophia Cooper Raborg Simpson. His uncle was artist Astley David Middleton Cooper. Career As ...

(1871–1918), American artist * James F. Reed (1800–1874), organizing member of the

Donner Party The Donner Party, sometimes called the Donner–Reed Party, was a group of American pioneers who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest. Delayed by a multitude of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–1847 snowbound in th ...

Lester Reiff Lester Berchart Reiff (1877–1948) was an American jockey who achieved racing acclaim in the United Kingdom in the first decade of the twentieth century. In 1900, he was the number one jockey racing in Britain based on earnings, beating ot ...

(1877–1948), jockey *

Fred Sanborn Fred Sanborn (November 23, 1899March 9, 1961) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and musician. He was most notable as a member of Ted Healy's comedy troupe ''Ted Healy and his Southern Gentlemen'' (a group which included the trio that ...

(1899–1961), Vaudeville performer *

Samuel Morgan Shortridge Samuel Morgan Shortridge (August 3, 1861January 15, 1952) was a Republican Senator from California. Early years He was born in Mount Pleasant, Iowa and moved to California as a child with his family, which settled in San Jose in 1875. He pr ...

(1861–1952), U.S. Senator * Eugene T. Sawyer (1846–1924), newspaper editor and writer of the Nick Carter detective series * Edward O. Smith (1817–1892), Mayor of

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Ce ...

Illinois State Senator The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the I ...

, and California pioneerLake County Publishing Co. (1893)
''Portrait and biographical record of Macon County, Illinois''
pp. 195–198 * John Townsend (?–1850), early

Alcalde Alcalde (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian '' cabildo'' (the municipal council) a ...

of San Francisco *

Gus Triandos Gus Triandos (July 30, 1930 – March 28, 2013) was a Greek American professional baseball player and scout (sport), scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher and a first baseman for the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and the D ...

(1930–2013), baseball player * Edward Alexander Walker (1864–1946),

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient for service in the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...

* Carrie Stevens Walter (1846–1907), poet and co-founder of the Sempervirens Club

Gallery

File:Oak Hill Memorial Park (4187436924).jpg, Márquez mausoleum File:Downtown Skyline from Oak Hill.jpg, View of

Downtown San Jose Downtown San Jose is the central business district of San Jose, California. Downtown is one of the largest tech clusters in Silicon Valley, as well as the cultural and political center of San Jose. History The town was first settled in 1777. T ...

from Oak Hill File:Oak Hill Memorial Park (4186657401).jpg, Backesto mausoleum File:Oak Hill Memorial Park (4186645017).jpg, File:Oak Hill Memorial Park 2722.jpg, Private mausoleums File:Oak Hill Memorial Park (4186666263) (cropped).jpg, The Hillside Mausoleum

References

External links