Pioneer Park (San Diego)

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Pioneer Park
Mission Hills Park
Pioneer Park (San Diego)
Location Mission Hills, San Diego, California, United States
Nearest city San Diego, California
Coordinates 32°44′57″N117°10′39″W / 32.7492°N 117.1776°W / 32.7492; -117.1776
Established1876 (as Calvary Cemetery); 1968 (as public park)
Operated by City of San Diego
Open6 a.m. to dusk
City San Diego
Website Official website

Pioneer Park, also known as Mission Hills Park, is a public park in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego, California. Originally established in 1876 as Calvary Cemetery, it served as a Catholic burial ground. The cemetery was converted into a park in 1968, with most headstones removed, but over 800 bodies remain buried beneath the grounds. [1]

Contents

History

Calvary Cemetery

Calvary Cemetery was the second Catholic cemetery in San Diego, dating back to when the city had a population of only 250. [2] The first was El Campo Santo cemetery in Old Town. When it began to fill up, the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego purchased the land, atop Pringle Hill in the Mission Hills neighborhood, from the city in October 1873. The cemetery was formally established in 1876. [3] For the years when it was in operation, it provided burial grounds primarily for Catholic residents of San Diego. [2] [3]

Following the opening of Holy Cross Cemetery opened in 1919, Calvary Cemetery began to fall into disrepair. In 1939, the caretaker's building, containing many of the burial records, caught on fire. The records were lost. [4] The cemetery remained active until the mid-20th century. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Conversion to a park

A state law passed in 1957 stated that cemeteries that endangered "the health, safety, comfort, or welfare of the public" and had less than 10 burials in the previous 5 years could be officially abandoned. [2] As the cemetery had not been well-maintained and was frequently visited by vandals and motorcyclists, the city began the process of converting the cemetery into a park in 1961. [3] [2] By 1968, it was fully converted. [2] The City of San Diego removed most of the headstones to Mount Hope Cemetery [2] Despite the removal of most headstones, the remains of the cadavers are still beneath the grounds. [9] [5] [10]

Features

Features of the park include:

Notable burials

Several prominent individuals and families are interred at the site from its time as Calvary Cemetery. Among them are members of the Bandini family, known for their ownership of the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant.

NameBirth DateDeath DateNotable Achievements
Juan Bandini portrait.jpg Don Juan Bandini 1800 Lima, Viceroyalty of Peru November 4, 1859 (aged 58-59)Married to Maria de los Dolores Estudillo;
Father Ubach.jpg Father Antonio Ubach September 1835 Barcelona, Spain May 27, 1907Also buried at the site is Father Antonio Ubach, a Roman Catholic priest who served as the parish priest in Old Town San Diego for 23 years beginning in 1860. [14]
Charles Francis Walsh circa 1910.jpg Charles Francis Walsh 18771912American pioneer aviator, who built one of California's first airplanes, died in a crash in 1912. [15]
Peter C. Shannon 18211899 Peter C. Shannon (1821–1899) was an American judge and politician who served as Chief Justice of the Dakota Territory Supreme Court. He presided over the trial of Jack McCall, leading to the territory's first legal hanging. Shannon died after a carriage accident.
Jesse Wilbur Ames 18071866 Jesse Wilbur Ames (1807–1866), a San Diego pioneer, arrived in 1820 as a sailor and later became a Catholic, allowing him to own property. Ames played a role in the Mexican-American War, served as Mayor of San Diego, presidents of the Board of Trustees, and later owned Rancho Cañada de los Coches.
John (Jack) Stewart,1892Participated in the Battle of San Pasqual, shipmate to Richard Henry Dana.
Rosa Maria MACHADO de STEWART18251898Wife of John (Jack) Stewart.
Richard Kerren [16] January 17, 1814November 5, 1856, at the age of 42Sergeant Richard Kerren, stationed at Mission San Diego de Alcalá, amassed substantial wealth through property acquisitions, livestock trading, and possible dealings in government supplies. At his death in 1856, his estate included $8,289 in assets. [17]
Sir Albert Vincent Mayrhofer [18] 18891948Albert V. Mayrhofer, born in San Diego in 1889 to Austrian parents, worked in banking and public relations for the Bank of America. He was deeply active in civic, religious, and historical preservation efforts, including leading the restoration of Mission San Diego de Alcalá. Mayrhofer held numerous public roles and was considered an authority on water development in Southern California.
Ysidora Bandini de Couts [19] 23 Sep 1829 San Diego County, California, USA24 May 1897 (aged 67) Los Angeles County, California, USAMarried Cave J. Couts; daughter of Don Juan Bandini.
Marco Bruschi [20] [21] 18401915Born in Parma, Italy in 1840, arrived in San Diego in 1869, and became one of its earliest Italian merchants. Before that, he partnered in mining with Pietro Lusardi near Coulterville. Known locally for sealing expeditions and a humorous 50-yard footrace in 1879.
CASSIDY, Andrew (1817-189x).jpg Andrew Cassidy [22] 1817November 25, 1907Born in Ireland circa 1817, came to San Diego in 1853 as part of a U.S. Coast Survey team and oversaw a tidal gauge station at La Playa for 17 years. He married into the Serrano and Smith families, acquired several ranchos, and became a prosperous landowner. Cassidy held various public offices and died in 1907.
James Waterman Connors [23] 18301913served in Company I of the 3rd U.S. Artillery.
US Army Lieutenant Cave J. Couts.jpg Cave J. Couts Springfield, Tennessee, November 11, 18211874The Couts family, who owned Rancho Guajome Adobe. Cave J. Couts arrived in San Diego following the Mexican–American War to assist with mapping the border between the United States and Mexico. He was originally buried in the Old Town Cemetery in 1874. [24] He married Ysidora Bandini
William Blount Couts [25]
Dr. David Bancroft Hoffman [26] 18241888Born in Bainbridge, New York, arrived in San Diego in the early 1850s as a ship’s surgeon and later opened a medical practice and drugstore. He served as coroner, district attorney, assemblyman, and port collector, and was a founder of the San Diego Medical Society.
George Alonzo Johnson.png George Alonzo Johnson August 16. 1824November 27, 1903George Alonzo Johnson was an American entrepreneur and politician known for pioneering steamboat navigation on the Colorado River and serving in the California State Assembly. He co-founded George A. Johnson & Company, which played a role in supplying Fort Yuma.
George LyonsGeorge Lyons, a native of Donegal, Ireland, arrived in San Diego in 1847, having worked as a carpenter aboard a whaler on the Northwest coast. He operated a store in Old Town from 1851 to 1858 and served as San Diego's sheriff for two terms from 1858 to 1862. Additionally, Lyons held various local offices, including city trustee and postmaster, and was a director of the San Diego & Gila Railroad. [27]
Juana de Dios Machado de Wrightington 8 March 181424 December 1901 Age 87Juana de Dios Machado Alipás de Wrightington was a pioneering nurse, midwife, and quilter in Old Town San Diego, known for her service during the Mexican-American War. Despite being illiterate, she became an expert in nursing, translating, and assisting as a midwife. During the Battle of San Pasqual in 1846, she cared for the wounded, earning the title of "Florence Nightingale of San Diego."
Henry C. Magee
Charles E. May [28]
Maria Ruiz de Burton.jpg Maria Amparo Maytorena de Burton 183613 Aug 1895 (aged 58–59)
McCOY, James (1821-1895).jpg James McCoy August 12, 1821November 8, 1895Born in County Antrim, Ireland in 1821, came to America in 1842, and arrived in San Diego with Magruder’s Battery in 1849. He served as county assessor, sheriff (1861–1871), state senator, and city trustee for 14 years. Involved in tide lands controversy [29]
Miguel Pedrorena.jpg Miguel de Pedrorena (c. 1808–March 21, 1850Born in Madrid around 1808, settled in San Diego in 1838, and became a merchant, ranchero, and signer of the 1849 California Constitution. He briefly served as alcalde, (mayor)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "GUIDE TO THE CALVARY CEMETERY COLLECTION". San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Weingartner, Nancy (April 23, 1987). "Gravestones returned home". Ramona Sentinel. pp.  1, A10.
  3. 1 2 3 The Canyoneers (August 29, 2018). "An unassuming cemetery in Mission Hills". San Diego Reader. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Page, Eric S. (October 27, 2022). "Corpse Pride: We Know Where the Bodies Are Buried This Halloween, San Diego". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Dotinga, Randy (November 24, 2010). "Fact Check: The Bodies Beneath a San Diego Park". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Pioneer Park - From Sacred Space to Soccer Field". July 24, 2011. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  7. ↑ Speciale, Gina (March 15, 2007). "SDSU Professor Unearths the Buried Tales". www.sdsu.edu. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  8. ↑ Dotinga, Randy (October 31, 2018). "Spooky San Diego: Bodies Lie Beneath as We Walk, Play and Shop". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  9. ↑ "1940 Aerial View of Pioneer Park Cemetery". City of San Diego. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  10. ↑ NBC 7 Staff (December 27, 2024). "Driver doing donuts in Mission Hills leaves muddy mess behind at Pioneer Park". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved January 24, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Jeannie (October 21, 2020). "Pioneer Park". Parks in San Diego. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Pioneer Park May Haunt You – at Least with its Stories". SDNews.com. October 19, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Pioneer Park may haunt you – at least with its stories". November 21, 2010. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  14. ↑ "The Glory Years, 1865-1899". San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Charles F. Walsh". www.earlyaviators.com. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Richard Kerren". San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Richard Kerren". San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  18. ↑ "ALBERT VINCENT MAYRHOFER". goldennuggetlibrary.sfgenealogy.org. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Cave Johnson Couts (1821-1874)". San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  20. ↑ "India Street and Beyond: A history of the Italian Community of San Diego, 1850-1980 | San Diego Reader". www.sandiegoreader.com. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  21. ↑ "HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO" (PDF). San Diego the History Company 1908: 525.
  22. ↑ "Andrew Cassidy". San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Part Two: Chapter XII: AMERICAN FAMILIES OF THE EARLY TIME | San Diego History Center". sandiegohistory.org. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Pages From the Diary of Cave Johnson Couts". San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Part Six: Chapter IV: GROWTH OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION | San Diego History Center". www.sandiegohistory.org. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Dr. David Bancroft Hoffman (1824-1888)". San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  27. ↑ "George Lyons". San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  28. ↑ May, Charles. Benezit Dictionary of Artists. Oxford University Press. October 31, 2011. doi:10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.b00119343.
  29. ↑ "James McCoy (1821- )". San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
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