Beneath the manicured lawns of Lincoln Park Golf Course lies a secret. This is the \u201cCity Cemetery: A Forgotten Graveyard.\u201d Between 1870 and approximately 1909, this area served as a final resting place for some 29000 individuals. It was also known as Golden Gate Cemetery or Potter’s Field.
The \u201cCity Cemetery: A Forgotten Graveyard\u201d spanned roughly 200 acres. It was bordered by Clement Street, 33rd Avenue, and 48th Avenue. Many remains were moved here from the older Yerba Buena Cemetery. That cemetery closed in 1854.
Life in the 19th century was tough. Burial practices reflected this harsh reality. Urban graveyards like \u201cCity Cemetery: A Forgotten Graveyard\u201d ran out of space. Coffins became a luxury. Bodies were placed directly into the sandy soil. Reports of exposed body parts were common. Chinese mourners left food. This attracted hungry vagrants.
The \u201cCity Cemetery: A Forgotten Graveyard\u201d held a diverse population. Immigrants from Italy, Japan, and France found their final resting place here. The poor and working-class were buried here too. There was a section for Chinese burials. Graves were segregated by group. Benevolent societies purchased burial rights here. These included religious and fraternal organizations.
Some notable figures were interred at the \u201cCity Cemetery: A Forgotten Graveyard.\u201d Politicians Patrick Watson Tompkins and Edward Wilson McGaughey were buried here. Both were later moved from Yerba Buena Cemetery.
In 1898, burials stopped at the \u201cCity Cemetery: A Forgotten Graveyard.\u201d By 1902, the city banned new burials. The San Francisco Parks Commission took over in 1909. Some graves were moved to Colma, California. However, many remained. The Chinese section was particularly neglected.
Today, Lincoln Park golf course and the Legion of Honor museum stand on this site. The Legion of Honor opened in 1924. In 1993, renovations near Lands End uncovered 700 bodies. It’s believed more remain under the golf course. Photographer Richard Barnes documented this. He captured the juxtaposition of the museum and skeletons.
A few artifacts remain from the cemetery era. The Kong Chow funerary structure still stands. It was a temporary resting place for travelers from Guangzhou. The Ladies’ Seaman’s Friend Society obelisk is here too.
Until recently, there were no park or city markers referencing the cemetery. In October 2022, the city designated this site an archeological landmark. A new sign commemorates its history.
The \u201cCity Cemetery: A Forgotten Graveyard\u201d reminds us of San Francisco’s past. It holds the stories of immigrants. It remembers the poor and marginalized. It serves as a silent testament to a bygone era.