San Francisco National Cemetery facts for kids
San Francisco National Cemetery
looking north towards the Golden Gate Bridge. |
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| Details | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1884 |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Type | U.S. National Cemetery |
| Size | 9 acres (3.6 ha) |
| No. of interments | >32,000 |
The San Francisco National Cemetery is a special burial ground for soldiers and veterans in the Presidio area of San Francisco, California. People sometimes mix it up with the Golden Gate National Cemetery, which is a few miles south of the city.
Around 1937, people in San Francisco decided not to build new cemeteries inside the city anymore. So, a new national cemetery was chosen outside the city limits. This cemetery is one of only four official burial sites within San Francisco. The others are the Columbarium of San Francisco, the old graveyard next to Mission Dolores, and the tomb of Thomas Starr King.
Contents
The Story of San Francisco National Cemetery
Early Days: From Spanish Fort to U.S. Military Base
When Spain first came to California, they chose this area for a fort. It was called a presidio, and its job was to protect San Francisco Bay. In 1776, about 40 families from northern Mexico arrived. They built the first small settlement here.
Later, Mexico took control of the Presidio after 1821. But the fort became less important to the Mexican government. By 1835, most soldiers and their families moved away. This left the Presidio almost empty. During the Mexican–American War, U.S. troops took over and fixed up the fort.
Growth and Importance During the Gold Rush
The discovery of gold in California in the mid-1800s made San Francisco grow very quickly. This made the U.S. government decide to keep the Presidio as a military area. In November 1850, President Millard Fillmore officially set aside the Presidio for military use.
In the 1850s and 1860s, soldiers from the Presidio fought against Native American groups. These battles took place in California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada.
The Civil War and Beyond
The American Civil War started in 1861. This war showed how important California's gold and San Francisco's harbor were to the Union side. Because of this, a big building project started at the Presidio in 1862. It was the first major expansion since the U.S. took control.
More growth happened in the 1870s and 1880s during the American Indian Wars. Many trees were planted, and the base was made more beautiful. By the 1890s, the Presidio was no longer just a small outpost. It became a major military base for American expansion into the Pacific Ocean.
Protecting Parks and World Wars
In 1890, new national parks like Sequoia and Yosemite National Park were created. U.S. cavalry soldiers from the Presidio were sent to protect these parks. They patrolled the parks during summer until World War I began in 1914.
The Spanish–American War in 1898 and the Philippine–American War (1899-1902) made the Presidio even more important. Thousands of troops camped there, waiting to be sent to the Philippines. Soldiers who returned sick or hurt were treated at the first permanent Army hospital, later called Letterman Army General Hospital. In 1914, troops led by General John J. Pershing left the Presidio to chase Pancho Villa in Mexico.
When the United States entered World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor, soldiers from the Presidio dug trenches on nearby beaches. General John L. DeWitt oversaw the relocation of many Japanese and Japanese-Americans from the West Coast. At the same time, U.S. soldiers of Japanese descent learned Japanese at a language school at Crissy Field.
In the 1950s, the Presidio was the main base for the Nike missile defense program. It was also the headquarters for the U.S. Sixth Army. In 1962, the Presidio of San Francisco, with its many historic buildings, was named a National Historic Landmark. In 1989, the military base closed. It became part of the National Park Service in October 1994.
The Cemetery's Beginning
On December 12, 1884, the War Department set aside 9 acres for the San Francisco National Cemetery. This included the old post cemetery. It was the first national cemetery on the West Coast. This showed how the system of national cemeteries was growing beyond the Civil War battlefields.
At first, bodies from the old post cemetery were buried here. Also, people from abandoned forts and camps along the Pacific coast were moved here. In 1934, all unknown remains in the cemetery were reburied together in one plot. Many soldiers and sailors who died overseas in places like the Philippines and China are buried here.
The cemetery also has three war graves for soldiers from the British Commonwealth. These include a Canadian soldier from World War I and a Royal Navy and Merchant Navy sailor from World War II.
The cemetery is surrounded by a stone wall. It slopes down a hill, offering a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Its original fancy iron gates are still there but are not used anymore. Tall eucalyptus trees also surround the cemetery. The main building and speaker's platform were built in the 1920s. They show the Spanish Revival style, which was popular in many western cemeteries.
Important Monuments and Memorials
- A memorial from the Grand Army of the Republic (1893)
- The Pacific Garrison Memorial (1897)
- A statue from the Regular Army and Navy Union (1897)
- A monument for Marines who died at the Tartar Wall in Peking, China (1900)
- A monument for Unknown Dead soldiers (first placed in 1912, moved in 1934)
Famous People Buried Here
Medal of Honor Heroes
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for bravery in the U.S. military. Many heroes who received this medal are buried here. Here are some of them:
- First Sergeant William Allen (for actions in the Indian Campaigns in Arizona, 1873)
- Chief Machinist's Mate William Badders (U.S. Navy, for saving lives after the USS Squalus sank, 1939)
- Major James Coey (for actions in the Civil War in Virginia, 1865)
- Sergeant James Congdon (Civil War, Virginia, 1865)
- Second Lieutenant Matthias W. Day (Indian Campaigns, New Mexico, 1879)
- Major General William F. Dean (Korean War, Korea, 1950)
- Captain Reginald B. Desiderio (Korean War, Korea, 1950)
- Lieutenant Abraham DeSomer (Mexican Campaign, Mexico, 1914)
- Colonel Kern W. Dunagan (Vietnam War, Vietnam, 1969)
- Sergeant William Foster (Indian Campaigns, Texas, 1872)
- Colonel Frederick Funston, Sr. (Philippine–American War, Philippine Islands, 1899)
- Seaman Rade Grbitch (U.S. Navy, on USS Bennington, 1905)
- Major Oliver D. Greene (Civil War, Maryland, 1862)
- Chief Carpenter's Mate Franz Anton Itrich (Spanish–American War, on USS Petrel, 1898)
- Staff Sergeant Robert S. Kennemore (Korean War, Korea, 1950)
- Sergeant John Sterling Lawton (Indian Campaigns, Colorado, 1879)
- Private Cornelius J. Leahy (Philippine–American War, Philippine Islands, 1899)
- First Sergeant John Mitchell (Indian Campaigns, Texas, 1874)
- Private Albert Moore (Boxer Rebellion, China, 1900)
- Second Lieutenant Louis Clinton Mosher (Philippine–American War, Philippine Islands, 1913)
- Private Adam Neder (Indian Campaigns, Sioux Campaign, 1890)
- First Lieutenant William R. Parnell (Indian Campaigns, Idaho, 1877)
- Corporal Reuben Jasper Phillips (Boxer Rebellion, China, 1900)
- Corporal Norman W. Ressler (Spanish–American War, Cuba, 1898)
- Sergeant Lloyd Martin Seibert (World War I, France, 1918)
- First Lieutenant William Rufus Shafter (Civil War, Virginia, 1862)
- Private George Matthew Shelton, Sr. (Philippine–American War, Philippine Islands, 1900)
- Gunner's Mate Second Class Andrew V. Stoltenberg (Philippine–American War, Philippine Islands, 1900)
- Sergeant Bernard Taylor (Indian Campaigns, Arizona, 1874)
- Private William H. Thompkins (Spanish–American War, Cuba, 1898)
- Captain Charles A. Varnum (Indian Campaigns, South Dakota, 1890)
- Second Lieutenant George W. Wallace (Philippine–American War, Philippine Islands, 1900)
- Seaman Axel Westermark (Boxer Rebellion, China, 1900)
- Sergeant William Wilson (Indian Campaigns, Texas, 1872)
Other Notable People Buried Here
Brigadier General George G. Gatley is also buried at San Francisco National Cemetery. He led military groups in World War I. He was also the father of the famous actress Ann Harding.
U.S. representatives Phillip Burton and Sala Burton are also buried in this cemetery.
