Protecting America’s Pioneer Cemeteries
Protecting America’s Pioneer Cemeteries
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Our Mission
Our Mission
The National Council of Pioneer Cemeteries is a national preservation initiative dedicated to protecting the history, dignity, and legacy of America’s pioneer burial grounds.
Through documentation, research, public awareness, and cooperation with state-level partners, landowners, caretakers, descendants, and local communities, the Council works to ensure these sacred places are recognized, respected, and preserved for future generations.
Featured Cemetery
Featured Cemetery
Jones Pioneer Cemetery is a historic burial ground in Lane County, Oregon, tied to early Oregon Trail settlement in the mid-1800s. It is the final resting place of William S. Jones, who arrived in 1846 and established a Donation Land Claim of 640 acres in Cheshire.
Set on a quiet hilltop overlooking his original homestead lands, the cemetery reflects the legacy of one of the region’s founding pioneer families. Today, it stands as a place of remembrance and a direct connection to Oregon’s earliest frontier history.
Why This Works
Why This Works
Pioneer cemeteries are more than places of burial.
They are historical records carved in stone. They tell the story of migration, settlement, hardship, faith, family, war, survival, and community.
When these cemeteries are forgotten, more than headstones are lost. Names disappear. Family histories vanish. Local memory fades. Entire chapters of America’s early story become harder to recover.
Preserving these sites means preserving the people who built the communities we live in today.
What We Do
What We Do
IDENTIFY
Locating known, forgotten, and at-risk pioneer cemeteries across the United States.
IDENTIFY
Locating known, forgotten, and at-risk pioneer cemeteries across the United States.
DOCUMENT
Recording cemetery names, locations, photographs, inscriptions, conditions, historical context, and associated families.
DOCUMENT
Recording cemetery names, locations, photographs, inscriptions, conditions, historical context, and associated families.
PRESERVE
Supporting restoration, cleanup, vegetation management, marker documentation, and long-term stewardship efforts.
PRESERVE
Supporting restoration, cleanup, vegetation management, marker documentation, and long-term stewardship efforts.
PROTECT
Working with state partners, caretakers, landowners, and communities to encourage responsible preservation and prevent further loss.
PROTECT
Working with state partners, caretakers, landowners, and communities to encourage responsible preservation and prevent further loss.
EDUCATE
Raising public awareness about the importance of historic burial grounds and the need to protect them.
EDUCATE
Raising public awareness about the importance of historic burial grounds and the need to protect them.
State Preservation Network
State Preservation Network
The National Council of Pioneer Cemeteries supports the development of state-level preservation efforts across the country.
Current members of the Council include:
Identifying, documenting, and preserving pioneer cemeteries across Oregon.
Supporting preservation and documentation of historic pioneer cemeteries across Ohio.
As this work expands, additional state organizations and partners will be added to the national network.
Our Approach
Our Approach
The Council does not assume ownership or control of cemetery properties.
Instead, we work through cooperation, documentation, awareness, and preservation support. Many pioneer cemeteries are located on private land, and long-term protection requires trust, respect, and collaboration with landowners, caretakers, descendants, and local communities.
Our role is to help bring visibility, structure, and support to sites that might otherwise be forgotten.
Leadership
Leadership
ALEX CHASE
President, National Council of Pioneer Cemeteries
Chairman, Oregon Pioneer Cemeteries Conservancy
Caretaker, Jones Pioneer Cemetery
Benefactor Amplissimus
DRAIMAN GILL
Vice President, National Council of Pioneer Cemeteries
Chairman, Ohio Pioneer Cemeteries Authority
The Council was founded to bring national attention, organization, and preservation support to pioneer cemeteries and historic burial grounds across the United States.
The Council was founded to bring national attention, organization, and preservation support to pioneer cemeteries and historic burial grounds across the United States.
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