A Place of Beauty and History: Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery
By Dick Meyers — Member, Board of Directors, FOJHC
The Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery, Inc. (FOJHC) was formed in 2008 and is an all-
volunteer, 501(c) (3), non-profit organization. Our goals, then and now, remain the same: education,
preservation, and restoration efforts for the cemetery.
With the first official burial of the remains of Mrs. Margaret Love, in October of 1859, it is one of the
oldest and largest historic cemeteries in the state of Oregon and contains some of the earliest
pioneer gravesites in Southern Oregon.
FOJHC holds fundraising events, hosts monument restoration and marker cleaning workshops,
community clean-up days, monthly history programs, and annual Living History tours to raise funds
to support our work and to make people aware of the importance and need to save our historic
cemeteries and their treasures.
Our Mission: To Restore, Preserve, Document, and Safeguard the Jacksonville Cemetery and its History for Future Generations.
We are dedicated to the restoration and preservation of this beautiful, peaceful, and tranquil final
resting place in Jacksonville, Oregon. Our work includes the education of residents and visitors alike
as to the importance of this significant historic site and how it relates to the history of Jacksonville,
the Rogue Valley, and Southern Oregon.
The Jacksonville Cemetery is the final resting place for many of the early “movers and shakers” of
Jacksonville, formerly known as Table Rock City. Merchants, gold miners, farmers, judges, and
doctors are just some of those who now rest below the canopy of Madrone and Oak trees. Grave
markers reflect the great distances they traveled seeking their fortunes and a better way of life for
themselves and their families. They read: born in England, Ireland, Germany, France, and from all
over the United States. For more about the history of the Jacksonville Cemetery, see link below.
The Cemetery History page describes the seven sections of the cemetery, including the potters’
field which, in unmarked graves, contains the remains of blacks, whites, Native American
Indians, Hawaiians, possibly Chinese and others. A large monument honors those buried in the
potters’ field.
Sharing their stories with residents and visitors to our area provides a better understanding of why
people came to Oregon and how Jacksonville and the Rogue Valley were developed. Much is owed
to these pioneers, and the FOJHC strives to preserve the markers of the deceased and maintain the
grounds around them. Additionally, we work to keep their stories alive for future generations to learn
from and enjoy.
For questions or more information about programs and volunteer opportunities offered by the
FOJHC, please email us at: info@FriendsJvilleCemetery.org or visit our website at: FriendsJvilleCemetery.org.
