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Mountain View Cemetery

History:
Although Ashland officials searched for land for a new cemetery as early as 1890, it was 1904 before they purchased a site east of town. Naming the new burial ground Mountain View Cemetery, the council approved the plat and instructed employees to prepare the site for use.

In March 1907, the Ashland I.O.O.F. Lodge #45 purchased two acres south of the Klamath Falls Road (now Highway 66) for a cemetery. After intense efforts to clean up the property, the local newspaper described the organization as “adding much to the appearance of the surroundings in that locality” (Ashland Tidings, March 15, 1909). In July 1921, the City of Ashland bought six more acres north of the original ten acres and soon acquired additional land. In 1924, the Ashland I.O.O.F. Lodge sold a portion of their land to the Ashland Memorial Mausoleum Association for a mausoleum. Fashioned of concrete, the building contained Alaskan marble sheets on its interior walls. The Povey Brothers of Portland, Oregon created the chapel’s stained glass window and end windows as well the clear beveled glass for the entry doors. Those doors, fashioned of bronze and weighing 1200 pounds each, were made by the Ashland’s Eagle Iron and Brass Works at a cost of $1800.

In 1928 Ashland voters approved financial support for the care of local cemeteries. During the Depression and World War II, however, maintenance at Mountain View Cemetery was poorly funded and sporadic. In 1932, Ashland I.O.O.F. Lodge #45 deeded their two-acre burial ground to the City. Following World War II, City employees devoted increasing time to maintenance at Mountain View Cemetery, instigating regular mowing and irrigation.

In 1949, the Siskiyou Investment Company constructed a second mausoleum. This building was named the Resthaven Mausoleum.

In 1994, in recognition of its historic significance and fine array of mortuary art and craftsmanship, Mountain View Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was also listed with the Oregon Commission on Historical Cemeteries in 2013.