CEMETERY OF LOST SOULS

All of the head stones in the cemetery, as well as the Butterfield Monument, were found for sale at auctions, junk yards, and antique sales. Our cemetery is named the Cemetery of Lost Souls, because the headstones were separated from the burial sites over the years by vandals, development, and carelessness. The Bakers are researching the names on the headstones and have managed to return one to its proper site. The iron fencing around the cemetery was found for sale in a small town in Texas. Several tombstones were found in the yard of a granite carver in Susanville. The markers were ordered by families but never paid for.

This photo shows the Cemetery of Lost Souls right after the iron fence was installed.

The tombstones shown above, with the letters and numbers on them, are from prison graveyards. Numbers were used so people would not seek out the graves of notorious inmates. The wooden tombstone on the left, from the late 1800s, is on display in the Hoist House to preserve it from the elements. It came from the old San Quentin Prison graveyard which was located in the Tiburon hills above the prison.

The Butterfield Monument is engraved with three members of the Buttterfield family who were buried in the common grave: Prudence B. Hanson (1839-1900), Charles H. Butterfield (1842-1903), & Mary E. Butterfield (1841-1900).

These two tombstones have an unknown story to tell. The one on the right shows that Timothy Werlhof died in 1975 at the age of 16. The one on the left shows that his father died two years later at the age of 48. This family shared its share of tragedy.