UPDATED August 26, 2022
In 1850, when San Francisco was first established, Larkin Street was the City’s western boundary. Everything west of Larkin was left undeveloped and therefore the perfect location for City cemeteries. Yerba Buena Cemetery, located on a triangle of land between Market, Larkin and McAllister where the San Francisco Public Library[1] sits today, was established in early 1850s. As the City began to grow, Yerba Buena Cemetery quickly filled. Three investors purchased 320 acres of land on Lone Mountain, a hill located in the center of the City. Lone Mountain Cemetery, located between California, Euclid, Masonic and Arguello, opened on May 30, 1854. In 1867, when the cemetery was taken over by new investors, the name changed to Laurel Hill Cemetery after a famous cemetery in Philadelphia. Because there were no public parks in San Francisco at this time, Laurel Hill was seen as a place to go to enjoy the lush garden setting along paths named after some of the nation’s other famous cemeteries.
Lone Mountain became the site of four cemeteries: Laurel Hill to the north, Odd Fellows (established in 1864) to the west, Calvary (a Roman Catholic cemetery established in 1860) to the east, and Masonic Cemetery to the south. Masonic Cemetery, located between Fulton, Turk, Parker and Masonic, was established in 1864. It’s most prominent resident was Emperor Norton[4], whose burial and gravesite was paid for by a Mason member.
In 1900, as the City began to expand, the Board of Supervisors outlawed any further burials within City limits. With no new revenue, the Lone Mountain cemeteries became overgrown and vandalized. The 1906 Earthquake[5] caused further damage when thousands of tombstones and statues were toppled. In 1914 City officials determined that the Lone Mountain Cemeteries needed to be removed to make way for redevelopment. In 1937 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted for the immediate removal of the 47,000 gravesites at Laurel Hill Cemetery. Litigation dragged on for almost 20 years, ultimately ending with the City winning the lawsuit. Ads were placed in local papers beseeching family members to pay to have their loved ones moved to Cypress Lawn in Colma. The 38,000 remaining bodies were removed and placed in a mass grave called Laurel Hill Mound at Cypress Lawn. The granite and marble crypts and mausoleums were demolished and dumped along the San Francisco waterfront to shore up the Great Highway, the Marina shoreline and the breakwater around Aquatic Park[6]. Rubble was also used to create the Wave Organ[7] and the gutters throughout Buena Vista Park[8]. Laurel Hill was eventually designated a California Historic Landmark, and a plaque was erected on a brick wall on California in front of the University of California San Francisco[8A] campus. Unfortunately this plaque has since been stolen. During a 2006 UCSF remodel of the property, several skeletal remains were found.
The Odd Fellows Cemetery was purchased by the Firemen’s Fund Insurance Company. All that remains of the Odd Fellows Cemetery today is the Columbarium[9].
There was opposition by the Catholic Church regarding the removal of bodies from Calvary Cemetery. Located between Masonic, Parker, Geary and Turk, the Church considered the cemetery sacred land. After losing their fight, families that could afford new gravesites had their loved ones reburied at Holy Cross in Colma. The 14,000 remaining bodies, including my great great grandparents Peter and Margaret Keenan, were buried in a mass grave at Holy Cross. The site of the Calvary Cemetery is now the Anza Vista neighborhood.
In the 1920s the Masonic Cemetery was purchased by the University of San Francisco[10]. Many families moved their loved ones to Woodlawn in Colma. In 1932 the remaining 14,000 bodies were removed from their caskets, put into cardboard boxes and moved to Woodlawn. Emperor Norton was reburied at a gravesite at Woodlawn with pomp and circumstance. In 2011, when USF expanded its campus, the construction crew unearthed empty caskets and two skulls.
Today Colma is home to 17 cemeteries and remains the primary place where San Franciscans are buried.
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[1] San Francisco Public Library: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4605
[4] Emperor Norton: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3709
[5] 1906 Earthquake: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=2849
[6] Acquatic Park: story coming July 11th
[7] Wave Organ: see story coming September 15th [8] Buena Vista Park: see story coming August 13th [8A] University of California San Francisco: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4712 [9] Columbarium: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4773 [10] University of San Francisco: story coming October 15th
