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Pioneer Park (San Diego)

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Revision as of 16:39, 3 January 2025 by DoubleGrazing (talk | contribs) (removed Category:Haunted locations in the United States using HotCat - no such cat)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Ex-cemetery, now public park, in California
Pioneer Park
LocationMission Hills, San Diego, California, United States
Nearest citySan Diego, California
Coordinates32°44′57″N 117°10′39″W / 32.7492°N 117.1776°W / 32.7492; -117.1776
Established1870s (as Calvary Cemetery); 1970s (as public park)
Operated byCity of San Diego
Open6 a.m. to dusk
City San Diego
WebsiteOfficial website

Pioneer Park is a public park in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego, California. Originally established in the 1870s as Calvary Cemetery, it served as a Catholic burial ground before being repurposed as a public park in the 1970s. Despite the removal of most headstones, the remains of the cadavers are still beneath the grounds.

History

Calvary Cemetery

Pioneer Park began as Calvary Cemetery in the 1870s, providing burial grounds primarily for Catholic residents of San Diego. The cemetery remained active until the mid-20th century.

Conversion to a park

By the 1970s, the cemetery had fallen into neglect. The City of San Diego removed most of the headstones to transform the area into a public park.

Features

Pioneer Park has grassy areas, eucalyptus trees, and elements that preserve what was there before. Other notable features of the park include:

  • A memorial row of preserved headstones commemorating its history of the once was cemetery.
  • A children’s playground for recreational use.
  • Tennis courts located across the street from the main park area.

Paranormal claims

Pioneer Park is reputed to be haunted, with reports of spectral apparitions and unexplained phenomena. These stories have made the park a point of interest for paranormal enthusiasts.

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.

Also the 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 the one that helped designing and naming streets in what is now Old Town San Diego. Couts passed away in 1874.

Also buried at the site is Father Antonio Ubach, a Roman Catholic priest who served as the parish priest in San Diego for four decades in the 19th century.

The names of the 187 people whose gravestones remain at Calvary Pioneer Memorial Park:

See also

References

  1. "1940 Aerial View of Pioneer Park Cemetery | City of San Diego Official Website". www.sandiego.gov. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  2. ^ Ghosts and Gravestones - Pioneer Park
  3. Dotinga, Randy (2010-11-24). "Fact Check: The Bodies Beneath a San Diego Park". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  4. "Pioneer Park - From Sacred Space to Soccer Field". 2011-07-24. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  5. Speciale, Gina (2007-03-15). "SDSU Professor Unearths the Buried Tales". www.sdsu.edu. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  6. Dotinga, Randy (2018-10-31). "Spooky San Diego: Bodies Lie Beneath as We Walk, Play and Shop". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  7. Page •, Eric S. (2022-10-27). "Corpse Pride: We Know Where the Bodies Are Buried This Halloween, San Diego". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  8. Jeannie (2020-10-21). "Pioneer Park". Parks in San Diego. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  9. "Mission Hills Park Calvary Pioneer Memorial Park aka Pioneer Park cemetery ghost haunt". San Diego Haunted Locations. 2013-06-07. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  10. "Pioneer Park May Haunt You – at Least with its Stories". SDNews.com. 2009-10-19. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  11. "Pioneer Park may haunt you – at least with its stories". 2010-11-21. Archived from the original on 21 November 2010. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  12. "Pages From the Diary of Cave Johnson Couts". San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  13. "Cave Johnson Couts (1821-1874) - Find a Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  14. "Fr Anthony Dominic Ubach (1835-1907) - Find a..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  15. "The Glory Years, 1865-1899". San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  16. "Calvary Cemetery, San Diego, CA". freepages.rootsweb.com. Retrieved 2025-01-03.

External links

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