Community Corner
Union Cementery Tells Story of Redwood City's Civil War History
Redwood City's Union Cemetery is home to more than your average occupants.
To the local passers-by of Union Cemetery on Woodside Road (Hwy 84), the cemetery does not instill a sense of mystery, wonder, or curiosity as to the origins of it's existence. However, that may be due to the fact that very few of Redwood City's 79,000 inhabitants have actually set foot on its grounds. From the road, Union Cemetery seems no more formidable than a small plot of land set alongside the busy highway; nevertheless, the 6-acre burial ground holds within its perimeters the history of approximately 40 U.S. Civil War soldiers, as well as many English inmigrants, and Welsh and Swiss nationals.
This weeks View Finder highlights the more remote aspects of Union Cemetery, California Historical Landmark #816, hopefully encouraging those same passers-by to stop and explore one of Redwood City's most fascinating examples of its early history.