Woodlawn Memorial Park (Colma, California)

Not to be confused with Woodlawn Memorial Park (Nashville, Tennessee).

Woodlawn Memorial Park, also known as the Masonic Burial Ground, is a cemetery located at 1000 El Camino Real in Colma, California. It was established in 1905.^[1]

Woodlawn Memorial Park
Details
Established	1905 (age 119–120)
Location	Colma, California
Country	United States
Coordinates	37.6794°N 122.4661°W / 37.6794; -122.4661
Owned by	Service Corporation International
Website	www.dignitymemorial.com
Find a Grave	Woodlawn Memorial Park

History

Entrance arches and chapel at Woodlawn

The Masonic Grand Lodge of California laid the cornerstone for the cemetery during a ceremony held on October 29, 1904, at a 47-acre (19 ha) site formerly used as the Seven Mile House on the stagecoach route linking San Francisco and San Jose.^[2]: 117 The entrance to the cemetery is marked by two prominent arches; T. Paterson Ross was responsible for designing the original entry arch, which was built with blue granite blocks quarried from Raymond, California. A second arch was added in the 1930s alongside administrative offices, a columbarium, mausoleum, and chapel, designed by William G. Merchant and Bernard Maybeck.^[2]: 118

When the former Masonic Cemetery in San Francisco closed around 1935, approximately 40,000 remains were moved to this cemetery in a project that spanned many years.^[1][3][4] The Masonic Cemetery Association erected a memorial pillar in April 1933 to honor those moved.^[2]: 119

Notable burials

Cypress tree at Woodlawn, overlooking gravesites

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

• Alex Anderson (1920–2010), cartoonist who created the characters of Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Bullwinkle, and Dudley Do-Right, as well as Crusader Rabbit.
• Humbert Allen Astredo (1929–2016), stage, film, and television actor; was part of the cast of the television series. Dark Shadows (1968–1971).
• Thomas Henry Blythe (1822–1883), capitalist, tycoon, property developer.
• Henry Clausen (1905–1992), lawyer, investigator; authored the Clausen Report.
• Aylett R. Cotton (1826–1912), politician, lawyer, judge, educator and miner.
• Laura Fair (1837–1919), murderer; with a notable court case due to gender.
• Etienne Guittard (1838–1899), founder of the oldest continuously family-owned chocolate company, Guittard Chocolate Company.^[1]
• James Augustus Johnson (1829–1896), politician; 14th Lieutenant Governor of California.
• Charles H. Larrabee (1820–1883), politician; member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin for the 36th Congress (1859 to 1860); his grave was moved from the Masonic Cemetery, San Francisco.^[5]
• Robert L. Lippert (1909–1976), film producer and cinema chain owner.
• Henry Miller (1827–1916), rancher who founded the cattle firm, Miller and Lux.^[1]
• Jacob H. Neff (1830–1909), politician, served as the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of California from 1899 to 1903.
• Emperor Norton (1819–1880), real name Joshua Abraham Norton, self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States; his grave was moved from the Masonic Cemetery, San Francisco in 1934.^[6][7]
• José Sarria (1922–2013), LGBT political activist, who styled himself as "The Widow Norton".^[8][9]

See also

• List of cemeteries in California

References

1. Smookler, Michael (2007). Colma. Arcadia Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-7385-4727-5.
2. Svanevik, Michael; Burgett, Shirley (1995). City of Souls: San Francisco's Necropolis at Colma. San Francisco, California: Custom & Limited Editions. ISBN 1-881529-04-5.
3. Proctor, William A. (1950). "Location, regulation, and removal of cemeteries in the City and County of San Francisco". SFGenealogy.org. Department of City Planning, City and County of San Francisco. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
4. Kastler, Deanna L. (2010-07-22). "Cemeteries". Encyclopedia of San Francisco. SF Museum and Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2010-07-22. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
5. "Larrabee, Charles Hathaway, 1820–1883". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
6. Mino-Bucheli, Sebastian (October 7, 2021). "Some of the Most Famous People Buried in Colma (With Map)". KQED.
7. "Emperor Reburied". Time. July 9, 1934.
8. Roisman, Jon (2014-11-07). "Local Jewish history comes to life at cemetery walk". J. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
9. "Funeral fit for a queen". The Bay Area Reporter / B.A.R. Inc. September 11, 2013. Retrieved 2021-10-08.