Union Cemetery is a historic

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

on Woodside Road ( CA 84) near El Camino Real in Redwood City,

San Mateo County, California San Mateo County ( ), officially the County of San Mateo, is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 764,442. Redwood City, California, Redwoo ...

. The cemetery was named a

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

#816 in 1967, then added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1983.

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. The cemetery officially closed in 1918, but it was used for many years after that for burial of the poor. 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 A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

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. The statue was paid for by

Jane Lathrop Stanford Jane Elizabeth Lathrop Stanford (August 25, 1828 – February 28, 1905) was an American philanthropist, co-founder of Stanford University in 1885 (opened 1891) along with her husband, Leland Stanford, as a memorial to their only child, Leland ...

. 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.

Notable graves

* Lester Phillip Cooley (1837–1882) was an early pioneer of East Palo Alto and Cooley Landing. *

John Howell Sears John Howell Sears (1823–1907) was an early pioneer of Searsville and La Honda, two cities in San Mateo County, California. He directly influenced the development of these cities. History Born February 3, 1823 in Sullivan County, New York. He w ...

(1823–1907) was an early pioneer of Searsville and

La Honda La Honda (Spanish for "The Sling") is a census-designated place (CDP) in southern San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 979 at the 2020 census. It is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains between the Santa Clara Valley an ...

. *

Sarah Wallis Sarah Wallis, also known as Sarah Armstrong Montgomery Green Wallis (1825–1905) was an early Anglophone settler in California and first President of the California Woman Suffrage Educational Association. Early life She was born Sarah Armstr ...

(1825–1905) was an early Anglophone settler in California and first President of the California Woman Suffrage Educational Association.

Gallery

References

External links