Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery

FREE Veteran History Tours — Memorial Day, May 25

Join us at Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery on Monday, May 25 at 12 Noon for a special Memorial Day commemoration!

The Cemetery will be beautifully decorated with flags at each Veteran's burial site. The event begins with a Flag Raising Ceremony at the GAR Monument, followed by free guided Veteran History Tours — learn about the brave men and women who rest here, including Civil War heroes like Lt. Col. Armstrong.

📍 Meet at the Franklin Gate 🕛 12:00 Noon ✅ Free & open to all

Come honor those who served. See you there! 🎖

Come join us at the Saturday Work Party on May 16th! Meet us at Franklin Gate at 9:00 AM (across from the preschool). Wear boots and bring gloves.

**NEW: As this is a Volunteer-led program, anyone under the age of 18 is required to have an adult present if they would like to participate.

This is a great opportunity for your student to start accumulating Community Service Hours!

🌿 HISTORY TOUR — DROP-INS WELCOME TOMORROW! 🌿

We still have spots available for tomorrow's History Tour at the 10:20 AM and 10:40 AM time slots — and we'd love to have you join us!

Wear comfortable shoes and bring your curiosity!

Photo by KL Bennett

Step into history this Saturday at the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery…

This striking image is of “Bloody Bill” Anderson, a notorious Confederate guerrilla involved in the Centralia Massacre during the Civil War. While his story is one of violence and conflict, it connects directly to a remarkable piece of history right here in Santa Rosa—the only surviving Union soldier from that massacre is buried in our cemetery.

Join us for a General History Tour and uncover stories like this and many more.

📅 Saturday, May 9
⏰ Tours begin from 10:00–11:00 a.m.
🚶‍♂️ Four tours depart every 20 minutes

Come explore the lives, legends, and little-known connections that make our cemetery such a fascinating place.

Admission is FREE; donations appreciated. Note: uneven surfaces and slopes.
Pre-registration is available and will ensure you a spot at the time you request.

Call the City at 707-543-3737
or go to the City website (below) and select the link to the Event you are interested in. At the ticketing site, you may need to select 'Tours' under 'Tours and Special Events'
https://www.srcity.org/1080/Tours-Events

Join us on Memorial Day for a Tour of the Veterans' buried in the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery.

In honor of the victims of the 1906 Earthquake in Santa Rosa, we'd like to share the story of one of our own — Miss Excelsa.

Her tragic tale was researched and told by Jeff Elliott, a well-known local historian now deceased. Miss Excelsa was laid to rest in the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery Earthquake Plot, situated beside the Franklin Gate.

May her memory, and the memories of all those lost, live on.

SEEKING MISS EXCELSA She is the symbol of the mysteries and misinformation surrounding the 1906 Santa Rosa earthquake. Her name is at the top of the memorial stone at the Rural Cemetery, but it is not her real name. She is buried with a child who was supposedly hers, but more likely was a girl she never saw.…

Don't miss out on our next FREE Saturday Tour in May!

Revisit the Darkside Tour in the 'warmth' of your own home! It will take a few weeks to post the photos, but one of our photographers has created a slideshow on YouTube! Enjoy! Thanks Jim!

Dark Side final Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery Preservation Committee Dark Side. Short vignettes depicting pioneers buried in this historic landmark. This is a slide show of stil...