Pioneer Cemetery Grove
Sacramento Pioneer Association – Founded 1854
The Sacramento Pioneer Association was founded by men who came to California before 1850 and wished to preserve the memories of the epochal events in the Gold Rush and the earliest days of Sacramento. They purchased much of Pioneer Grove from the City in 1861 and acquired more area over the next forty years. Among the founding members resting here are Mark Hopkins, Gen. Albert Maver Winn, and James McClatchy. Honorary members buried elsewhere include Pres. U.S. Grant, James Marshall, and Gen. John Sutter.
By 1855 the Association had 200 members. In 1909 membership was extended to men and women descendants of pioneers and in 1966 to “persons who have shown an interest in Sacramento history.”
In 2008, over 300 men and women belong to the Sacramento Pioneer Association and strive to perpetuate the founders’ mission to preserve history and care for the Grove. The Association also owns Pioneer Hall at 1009 7th Street, constructed by the group in 1864, one of the oldest buildings in California under the unbroken ownership of one entity.
Courtesy hmdb.org
