South Beach Cemetery

Newport, Lincoln County, Oregon

April 11, 2005

 

	South of the bridge in Newport, Oregon lays the South Beach cemetery. This cemetery has suffered severely from neglect and vandalism, and is slowly turning back into forest. Before it disappears completely, I wanted to record what I could for this cemetery.   The land where this cemetery is located was originally owned by Lemuel E. Davis, who is buried here with his family.  The cemetery may have been known as "Newport Cemetery of Yaquina", and "Newport Cemetery" and later as "South Beach Cemetery".  The first burials are believed to be two unknown seamen, circa 1870.  At the time (before the jetties were constructed), the ocean beach was just northwest of the cemetery.  The last burial seems to have occurred about 1940.

The condition of the cemetery is very poor, the victim of much vandalism and neglect.  Very few people even know it exists.  Most local residents have driven by it dozens of times without knowing it is there.  However some of the stones have been replaced in the last 30 years, and someone keeps a trail maintained through the brush to the cemetery. 

 

The cemetery is located at N44 36.961 W124 03.199

Directions:

Coming south on Hwy 101 over the Yaquina Bay bridge from Newport, take the first right (west) like you're going to the Oregon Coast Aquarium.  Several hundred feet west of the highway is a short gravel road with a metal gate on the left (SW) side of the road.  The cemetery is west of the gate, up the hill 80 feet or so.

 

Here is an aerial photo:

http://www.terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=10&X=2082&Y=24703&W=1

The cemetery is in the trees just left of the center of the photo.

 

A neighbor reported that there are 8 more graves located on the top of the hill across the road to the NE, however there are no markers.

 

I have submitted a listing of all the people who are believed to be buried here to the Tombstone Transcription Project: https://sites.rootsweb.com/%7Ecemetery/oregon/lincoln.html 

 

I have compiled a genealogy database of everyone believed to be buried at this cemetery, including their parents, spouses, siblings, and children where I could find them.  This database is at http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=southbeachcem

 

I have posted photos of all the grave markers here: http://community.webshots.com/album/147240487VEuUqF

 

In researching these people, I found a number of interesting stories, which I have included as notes in the genealogy database:

http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=southbeachcem&id=I002

 

http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=southbeachcem&id=I005

 

http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=southbeachcem&id=I004

 

http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=southbeachcem&id=I015

 

I have also created a detailed map of the grave markers as of April 2004.

 

If you have any more information on this cemetery or the people buried here, I would enjoy hearing from you.

 

Regards,

 

Dave

davem98607 at yahoo dot com