Historic cemeteries
Places and activities › Cemeteries
Metro's 14 cemeteries, managed as active facilities, offer scenic tranquility and a unique glimpse into the history of the region.
Reserve your place in history
Where will your legacy be remembered? Metro has burial and cremation choices in its historic cemeteries. From Gresham to Portland’s Sylvan Hill, these historic cemeteries are the final resting place for Oregons prominent residents.
Find beautiful natural landscapes for native birds and wildlife as well as burial and cremation options for your family. View the plans for the new Chestnut Grove Memorial Garden. Go
Metro provides respectful public service and perpetual care and stewardship of your memories. Call 503-797-1709 for grave and cremation choices.
Metro manages 14 historic cemeteries in Multnomah County. The cemeteries not only offer a unique look into the past, but are managed as active facilities.
Discover in this section
Cemetery services
Metro offers gravesite and cremation spaces. Find out about prices for gravesite selection and other servicesMore
Search the records
Metro maintains burial records for use by family historians and genealogical researchers. Search the records online or contact the cemetery office to locate a gravesite More
Metro takes steps to respectfully, responsibly manage cemeteries
The very things that make cemeteries so fascinating also make them challenging to manage. Find out details of Metro's approach.More
Forward-looking business plan
The plan describes priorities for managing Metro’s cemeteries. More
Independent soil management study
Metro retained the services of a highly respected expert. Read the report. More
Metro cemetery policies
Metro strives to protect the integrity of our cemeteries while ensuring that adornments and remembrances respect the dignity and sacred environment of each property.
These rules, which have been in effect for nearly 20 years, help keep the cemeteries safe, clean and attractive for our many visitors. Learn more
A brief history
The Oregon Territory was a strong attraction for early settlers from the East. The promise of a free section of land to homestead and overflow from the California gold rush led to large numbers of people entering the territory. Life was difficult. Without modern medical care, sickness and premature death were common.Most of the cemeteries managed by Metro were established during the early homesteading period (circa 1850-1870). However, some were founded as early as 1837 during the fur trapping and trading period. Family burial plots often became community cemeteries. Community churches also provided burial grounds for their congregation.Care of cemeteries became inconsistent and some were abandoned to revert back to nature. In 1928, the Oregon Legislature mandated the care of 14 cemeteries to Multnomah County. This was done to assure proper maintenance of the facilities. Now the cemeteries are under Metro's care and fully tended in perpetuity.
Historic cemeteries
- Brainard Cemetery
- Columbia Pioneer Cemetery
- Douglass Cemetery
- Escobar Cemetery
- Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery
- Gresham Pioneer Cemetery
- Jones Cemetery
- Lone Fir Cemetery
- Mountain View Corbett Cemetery
- Mountain View Stark Cemetery
- Multnomah Park Cemetery
- Pleasant Home Cemetery
- Powell Grove Cemetery
- White Birch Cemetery
related documents
- Cemeteries factsheet 580K Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published July 5, 2012
- Cemetery business plan 1.5M Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published March 8, 2013
- Independent soil management study 450K Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published July 5, 2012
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