San Francisco Call, Volume 84, Number 117, 25 September 1898 — SITE OF OUR NEW CITY HALL WAS A CEMETERY THIRTY YEARS AGO. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

SITE OF OUR NEW CITY HALL WAS A CEMETERY THIRTY YEARS AGO.

ALMOST half a century ago San Francisco thought she was growing and was destined to take a position in the worid for herself so she determined to improve herself for her forthcoming station. At that time her limits were house-tents and sheetIron structures lining the waters of the bay, which came up to Montgomery street. One of her first moves toward self-improvement was to move her cemetery further out into the country. At that time the city was growing toward North Beach, so the territory bounded by Powell, Stockton, Lombard and Chestnut streets was ordered leveled and all the bodies in graves therein were ordered removed to the new city cemetery. The site for the new cemetery, which was officially called the Yerba Buena Cemetery, was where the new City Hall now stands. The city fathers thought it would be many a year before the city would reach that then distant place. That was in the early fifties. At once the work began of moving the bodies to Yerba Buena Cemetery. Although many of the bodies of those pioneers were unidentified the City Counsel determined to keep a record of all interments in the new cemetery. This was done.

It has just been discovered that through the usual official carelessness and negligence the records have been almost destroyed.

The documents covering the period from the opening of the cemetery until the date of its condemnation were stored away in the basement of the City Hall. Laborers raked them together, tossed them l.ito garbage wagons arrd the fires of the crematory left not a trace behind.

In 1854 Lone Mountain Cemetery was opened and superceded Yerba Buena Cemetery for general use, but many were interred in the Yerba Buena ground for years afterward.

At last it was derided for a second time to disturb the bones of those who were first carried to the old grave yard out toward North Beach. The work of removing the remains from Yerba Buena began. It was probably a contract job, as when preparations for the laying of the new City Hall corner-stone were being made groups of boys who came to watch the work remained to uncover scattered bones of pioneers left by the body removers. Many bones were found while the ground was being broken for the site of the new City Hall. Now its massive foundations stand as tombstones over the bits of skeletons that were left there in the early seventies.

List of Interments Made in the Yerba Buena Burial Ground, From the 7th Day of November to the 14th Day of November, 1857.

I hereby certify the above to be correct. HALLETT SWIFT, Superintendent of Yerba Buena Burial Ground. Return to be made to the City Sexton on Saturday of each week, between the hours of 10 a. m. and 4 p. m. Copy of One of the Lists of Interments in Yerba Buena Cemetery, Which formerly Occupied the Site of the New City hall. The List Was Plcked Up While Cleaning Up Rubbish Last Week In One of the Offices.

After the bodies wero moved from the old Yerba Buena Cemetery grading; of the sand hills was commenced on the site for the erection of the new City Hall July 26, 1870, and was completed in the following year. The work of laying the concrete bed for the foundation wall of the new City Hall was commenced September 18, 1871.

Data ofD 3 - oease. Name of Deceased. Age. Tears. Native of X* 3 •I P g B Disease, or Cause of Death. From Placo of Death. Remarks. Nov. 90. Hirbert ! Nov. 13 E. S. Camp.-! Andrew Weir.! ! i 30 35 63 i New Norway 1 - New YcrKl ... Ireland 1 - Pneum0nia.......... n Euryenea Dr.Liad U.S. M. Hospital Jame3 S. Whitney. Mansion House H. M. Gray Mason St., Between Jack- | son and Washington. .. ;H. Wingate, Undertaker. ;H. Wingate, Undertaker. In. Gray, Undertaker I |