Mt. Union Cemetery

Mt. Union Cemetery
Details
Established	May 1, 1861 (1861-05-01)
Location	Philomath, Oregon, United States
Type	Non-profit
Size	7 acres (2.8 ha)
No. of graves	2,500 (approximate)

Mt. Union Cemetery is a historic non-profit cemetery, located in Philomath, Oregon, United States. It was listed on the Benton County Historic Register on November 14, 1994.[1] It is also known as Newton Cemetery.

History

The land for the Mt. Union Cemetery was donated by Reuben Shipley and his wife Mary Jane Holmes Shipley Drake,[2] with the stipulation that both Black people and White people could be buried there.[3] Mt. Union was the first cemetery in the region to permit burials of multiple races.[4] The Shipleys were both formerly enslaved, and donated 3 acres of their land on May 1, 1861.

The cemetery has expanded over the years to seven acres, with over two thousand graves. The headstone for Reuben Shipley procured by his son displays the surname of Ficklin, which is presumed to have been the name of an earlier enslaver. The cemetery entrance has a large granite marker honoring the Shipleys, which was installed in 1981. The historical writer R. Gregory Nokes describes Mt. Union cemetery as "a lasting legacy to racial cooperation and understanding".[4]

Approximately 2,500 people are buried at the cemetery, with additional space for 1,500 to 1,700 more.[5] A new section was added to the cemetery in the 1970s.[5]

Notable interments

• Reuben Shipley (c.1800–1872)
• Mary Jane Holmes Shipley Drake (1841–1925)

References

1. "Benton County Local Historic Register". Benton County Oregon. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
2. "State of Oregon: Black in Oregon – What's in a Name?". sos.oregon.gov. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
3. Strauss, J.; Ford, D.; LaNier, S.; Westrick, A.B.; Hayter-Menzies, G.; McGill, J.; Nokes, R.G.; Broussard, A.; Sasanov, C.; Stainton, L. (2019). Slavery's Descendants: Shared Legacies of Race and Reconciliation. Rutgers University Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-1978800786. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
4. Nokes, R. Gregory (2013). Breaking Chains: Slavery on Trial in the Oregon Territory. Oregon State University Press. pp. 157–164. ISBN 978-0870717130.
5. Fuqua, Brad. "Cemetery seeks descendants of old unclaimed burial spaces". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved March 10, 2021.(subscription required)

External links

• Official website
• Mount Union Cemetery, a.k.a. Newton Cemetery at Find a Grave
• GNIS data 44°32′15″N 123°20′01″W