Yorba Cemetery
Historic cemetery in California, US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yorba Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Yorba Linda, California, originally part of Bernardo Yorba's Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana. It was deeded to the County of Orange in 1967.[2]
| Yorba Cemetery | |
|---|---|
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 Interactive map of Yorba Cemetery | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1858 |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 33°51′53″N 117°47′01″W[1] |
| Type | Public |
| Owned by | Orange County, California |
| Size | 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2) |
| No. of graves | between 120 and 600 |
| Find a Grave | Yorba Cemetery |
In 1858, the 40,000 square-foot plot of land was willed to the Catholic Church by Bernardo Yorba, as a burial ground to serve Yorba's family and friends. The last official burial occurred in 1939.[2] There is also an even older burial ground north of the cemetery.[citation needed]
Burials
It is one of the oldest private cemeteries in the state of California.[3] Many members of prominent Californio families such as the Yorba, de los Reyes, Peralta, Dominguez, and Navarro families are buried at the cemetery.[2] The exact number of burials at this cemetery is unknown, but it is estimated between 120 graves (that were identified as of 1993) and up to some 600 graves.[3]
The Pink Lady
According to local legend, a ghost referred to as "The Pink Lady" appears at the cemetery on June 15.[4] Some sources say that she is Alvina de los Reyes,[5] a descendant of the Yorba family,[6] and that she was killed in a buggy accident while returning from a dance at Valencia High School. There are no official reports of the ghost's appearance since the 1980s.[7][8] Although the ghost herself has not been photographed, energy fields at the cemetery have.[9]
