One of the best kept secrets for sweeping views of San Jose and the east foothills is the Oak Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park. From its location at the busy intersection of Curtner and Monterey, it looks like just another cemetery, but if you make your way to the very back of the cemetery and up to the Vista Mausoleum, you’re treated to a park-like and tranquil setting with views of the entire valley.
From the Oak Hill Memorial Park website:
Oak Hill Memorial Park, with its more than 350 magnificently landscaped acres, has been in existence since 1839. It is the oldest secular cemetery in California and is rich with history of the early pioneers who settled here after arriving in covered wagons. Its serene and welcoming environment is host to the many settlers who influenced the formation of San Jose. Burials at Oak Hill include Charles Doerr, a baker who served on the San Jose City Council in the 1890s, Abram Agnew, and members of the Donner party, including Curtner, Schallenberger, Reed, Eddy and Murphy — names that recall heroic struggles to settle a new frontier and build a new city and state. The park’s monuments and private mausoleums represent its rich historic past and its ethnic diversity.
pictures by pueblouno.com
