Purissima Historic Cemetery
Services
*Plot price includes setting of a local field stone. 30% of plot price goes toward maintenance and conservation funds
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Special FeaturesPreservation Memorial Walk
Help us preserve and protect these precious surroundings by supporting the building of a memorial that will line the entrance of the ecotrail. The stone you purchase may be engraved and the 1' x 1' plot it rests on may be used for the burial of cremated remains. 
100% of the proceeds from your $250 donation will go to the purchase and preservation of surrounding land. Purissima Cemetery will have a celebration of life dedication ceremony when the walk is completed. We hope the public will participate in this moving tribute to life.
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AvailabilityBurial Sections
Hovious Dobble Pitcher Osterman Cypress Ponderosa Pine 
For pricing and rules and regulations, please contact us. We will send you a packet of information specific to the cemetery you indicate.
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History of Purissima Historic Cemetery
Purissima Historic Cemetery dates back to the 1860’s when the town of Purissima (for purísima, Spanishfor “purest”) was situated here, complete with a post office, a one-story hotel, dance hall, schoolhouse, livery stable, saloon, and several stores. A lumber mill supported the redwood logging operation in the Santa Cruz mountains. In 1868, John Purcell deeded some of his property to the town for burial space, prompting formation of the Purissima Cemetery Association who oversaw free burials to residents. 58 pioneers were buried there, mostly children. The village was one of the earliest settlements in the San Mateo Coast, but it was plagued with floods, cop failures, and difficulty maintaining a thriving village due to its remote location when other towns were in close enough range, resulting in the abandonment of the village before WWII. In 2017, Ed Bixby purchased the abandoned cemetery with plans to clean up the old gravesites and create green burial space. Surrounded by massive cedar and pine trees, running alongside the Purissima creek with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, the cemetery now offers natural burial and is open to all.
Learn More About Purissima Cemetery
List of existing graves: Purissima Cemetery, Interment.net
New Interest in Purissima Cemetery by Jim Clifford, San Mateo Daily Journal, December 18, 2017
New ‘Green Burial’ Cemetery Operating in San Mateo County, KPIX CBS SF Bay Area, November 1, 2017
Why I Chose a Green Burial by June Smith, Good Times, January 16, 2019
Cemetery of the Week #164: Purissima by Loren Rhoads, Cemetery Travel, March 21, 2018
Purissima: New Life for Old Cemetery by Carina Woudenberg, Half Moon Bay Review, October 2017
Top photo courtesy of Carina Woudenberg for the Half Moon Bay Review
New Interest in Purissima Cemetery by Jim Clifford, San Mateo Daily Journal, December 18, 2017
New ‘Green Burial’ Cemetery Operating in San Mateo County, KPIX CBS SF Bay Area, November 1, 2017
Why I Chose a Green Burial by June Smith, Good Times, January 16, 2019
Cemetery of the Week #164: Purissima by Loren Rhoads, Cemetery Travel, March 21, 2018
Purissima: New Life for Old Cemetery by Carina Woudenberg, Half Moon Bay Review, October 2017
Top photo courtesy of Carina Woudenberg for the Half Moon Bay Review
Purissima Historic Cemetery I San Mateo County, CA I 1 Verde Road I Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 I Open daily 7 am – 8 pm
