Jacksonville Oregon Cemetery


I love Jacksonville Oregon, I fell in love with this town the first time my husband took me to visit his hometown ( Medford) and we drove over to Jacksonville to visit his mom’s grave and see the town.

My first thought when you enter this town is if you removed all of the cars and the power poles it would be exactly like it was in the mid 1800 during the gold rush when it was the county seat.

My favorite part of Jacksonville is the cemetery, I spend a great deal of time wandering around old cemeteries and this one is nothing short of amazing. This old cemetery is located at the top of a hill overlooking Jacksonville; the first burial took place here in October 1959 before the cemetery was even open. A prominent business man John Love had acquired permission to have his mother Margaret Love buried here. Later in December 1859 plots were offered for sale and the cemetery was dedicated in 1860. Wandering through this cemetery you may find graves with dates much earlier than 1859, but these are the remains of people who were relocated to the cemetery for various reasons.

Richard and his niece at his Mom's gravesite
 

 

Interestingly this cemetery is divided into seven different sections; there is a Jewish, Catholic, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Independent and Improved Order of the Red Men, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the City sections and a Potter field section.  Each of the sections has a marker to identify the area. This was the first and only U.S. cemetery that I had seen with a Potter field or the separation in, I was fascinated the first time I saw the Potter field area, only because I had only ever read about them, to actually see one and walk through it was yet another avenue to gain a glimpse into how life was in the 1800 and early 1900’s.  There is a plaque to mark Potter Field with the names of the 133 people buried here, the year they were buried and the age at time of death. It was nice to see that these people are being remembered as each individual grave is unmarked.

As you walk around this cemetery you are truly transported back in time, there are markers that tell of deaths due to smallpox, diphtheria, lead poisoning and the Indian War, there are far too many infants and children all serving to remind me of the challenges people would have faced in this early frontier town.  There are several family plots surrounded by iron or wooden fences, there are simple crosses and large ornate monuments. Along with the markers for pioneers of this long gone era you will see new graves as this cemetery continues to operate today.
I find this cemetery to be peaceful, walking around you hear the birds singing, feel the light breeze, maybe see a deer or a squirrel running about. It has a feeling of tranquility making it a perfect place to spend a relaxing afternoon among those who have gone on ahead.

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