“Them’s mariners” the gravedigger said long ago. He stood dreaming on his shovel. We are standing before the Ladies’ Seaman’s Friend Society Monument Obelisk. It marks a poignant history here in Lincoln Park. It is more than just a landmark. It’s a testament to compassion and remembrance.
This fifteen-foot-high cast zinc monument stands as a metal hazard for golfers. It is decorated with nautical reliefs of anchors and sailing ships. It is a relic from when Lincoln Park was the City Cemetery.
Let’s delve into the story etched into this obelisk. It was presented to the Ladies’ Seaman’s Friend Society by Dr. Henry D. Cogswell. The inscription dedicates it to Mrs. Rebecca H. Lambert. She was the founder of the society. She earned gratitude for her lifelong devotion to seamen. The monument marks the seaman’s last earthly port. It’s their resting place. They await The Great Pilot for their Eternal Destiny.
The Ladies’ Seaman’s Friend Society cared for disabled merchant mariners. The society ensured they received proper burials. The City Cemetery was the final resting place for the poorer classes. Sailors found their place here. It offered a fitting view of the Golden Gate and the Pacific Ocean.
In 1891, a San Francisco Examiner article described the scene. The mariners had the best view. Their plot was bare but not as miserable as the rest. The wind rushed in from the sea. It shook the rattling branches. Sometimes, it overturned a board. The gravedigger and his dog seemed to be the only visitors. Except for the wind.
The neglected cemetery became a city park in the 1910s. The bodies were supposedly moved to Colma. Renovation work on the Legion of Honor museum uncovered many remains. Perhaps many seamen still reside around their memorial.
The City Cemetery held around 20000 bodies by the end of 1897. It was located on a windswept hill. It was miles away from the city center.
Various societies leased sections. These included the Ladies’ Seaman’s Friend Society. The city halted interments in 1898. They banned burials within city limits in 1901. The land became Lincoln Park in 1909. Few bodies were moved. The city declined to move the indigent dead.
Today, the Ladies’ Seaman’s Friend Society Monument Obelisk remains. It and the Kong Chow funerary structure stand as reminders. They are picturesque hazards for golfers. The city designated Lincoln Park as its first archaeological landmark in October 2022. This recognizes its history as a cemetery.
So next time you are playing golf, remember the history beneath your feet. Think of the mariners. Think of Mrs. Lambert and her society. Consider the lives and stories. The Ladies’ Seaman’s Friend Society Monument Obelisk stands. It is a silent guardian of their memory. It’s a reminder of San Francisco’s maritime past.