Hi Liz & Others! My sources for information on the old cemetery are: STOCKTON ALBUM Through the Years; by V. Covert Martin, R. Coke Wood, Ph.D., Leon Bush, Stockton College, Stockton CA 1959 (pages 145& 146. The News article below. Two land deeds from when Karl Ross Post of American Legion purchased the land. Joe Holt, current member of the above AL post. Stockton/San Joaquin City/County directories from 1873-74 through 1896-97. There is a website where you can contact your area government representatives. I am not sure if it will help, but it can't hurt ... http://www.sen.ca.gov/ Please let them know that people are interested in saving this site, including making the names of those buried here available to researchers. Also, write to Legislature member Anthony Pisanthony anthony.pescetti@asm.ca.gov as he has a bill pending (now on hold) that is in referrence to historical cemeteries. Thanks all.. Every bit of interest will help. Below is a note that I wrote to Phil Van Camp last night, in reply to a note from him asking how I got the numbers for those who are buried at the site, since the records are private... >>> I have a newspaper article from the Stockton Record dated March 1, 1955 (page 17): Burial Ground Rezoning Plan Turned Down. Supervisors Return Proposal to Planners. Commerical rezoning of a former Stockton State Hospital burial grounds on N Calif. Street that won approval of the County Planning Commission in January was denied yesterday by the County Board of Supervisors. the petition of Karl Ross Post of the American Legion for the rezoning was referred back to the Planning group for reconsideration. Unanimous supervisor disaproval of the proposed zoning came after a lengthy report by county counsol Fredrick felton, who said such a reclassification would be illegal. Felton said that when the planning commission first considered the problem he did not have suficient information for a definite ruling that their action would not hold up under law. The 15-acre Legion property is on the east side of California Street, south of the Alpine Lumver company and west of Rural Cemetery. A trailer court now occupies much of the ground. Felton said that the five acres in which graves are located should be reclassified as cmetery and the 10 remaining acres should be changed to commercial zoning. The entire area is now in residential-suburban-farming zoning. The 15 acres were purchased by the state from Albina Sedgwick in 1875 for $2,700 and were used as a cemetery for 45 years with 4,467 burials. Use of the burial grounds was discontinued in 1919. In 1925 & 1926 some bodies were removed and cxremated, according to state records, but an estimated 3,572 bodies remain. Ther graveyard is in a state of neglect with the wooden markers burned off by grass fires, and no evidence of care of any kind Names of the persons still buried in the plot are in the records of Stockton State Hospital. ... Article goes on to say that Karl Ross bought the land & that there was a stipulation in the deed (which I have a copy of) that states that the land can't be used for anything other than a cemetery until the bodies are removed, which is persuant to law. The article also states that "Although the area was given blanket suburban farming zoning when the county zoning ordinance was adopted, this was in error, according to Felton, since the plot never has been abandoned as a cemetery." Due to a ruling earlier (1952), Karl Ross abandoned the plans to build on the property, after trying to have it rezoned by a judge. The judge (Baker) said that Karl Ross Post was to build a fence, and install a gate, then put up a marker or plaque stating that the property was the State Hospital Cemetery. This has to date not happened. Joe Holt with Karl Ross Post was at the purchase , court hearing & sale of the property in question. Joe says he personally looked through the book with the names of those cremated and moved to Rural (went into common grave). He told me there was over 875 names, he thought. The State has the information, except it feels it is HOSPITAL Records, not burial Records.. thus they are private & only a living relative can request them. I have had several people try for records, only to be told they are sealed & they can't have them, even though they are a descendant. I went today and purchased a map of the area (assessor's drawing) from last year. It shows that the land has been divided up and at least two buildings & a parking lot extension are on the land. Only about 1.39 acres are unused (from map). The first deed to Karl Ross says... "That a portion of the said real property has been used for cemetery purposes, and the portion of said property where human bodies are interred is set forth in the description of Parcel One above That this conveyance is made pursuant to the authority conferred by Chapter 891, statutes of 1949, and subject to provision that nothing in this conveyance be constured to permit the use of any land dedicated to cemetery purposes until human remains interred therein have been removed pursuant to law." There are two versions of this deed, I believe that it was rewritten (the wording is more professional in couple of instances, and the land description for the cemetery is more exact). Joe Holt says that a judge told them it was to be a cemetery forever in 1952.. should be a record of the instance other than the new deed. St. Joseph bought it in 1953, per Joe Holt. I didn't check this deed, as I have spoken with St Joseph facilities director & she says they sold that portion a while back. It is now owned by a Seattle firm, unless it was sold within past year. >>> There were also over 1,600 moved from the oldest cemtery on the asylum grounds in 1875, to this new facility. I believe these are included in the above count. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mcampbel/Calif/ ----- Original Message ----- From: Liz Fairchild To: Margie Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2001 5:46 AM Subject: Stockton State Hospital. Hi Margie, I am really looking forward to finding out who owns this land. I don't recall if you mentioned how old the cemetery was...how old is it? Also,