Melrose Cemetery, Roseburg, Oregon

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Melrose, Douglas County, Oregon, United States

This page is part of the Oregon Cemeteries Project

See the Melrose Cemetery category for a partial list of people buried in this cemetery. This is a work in progress.

Cemetery name: Melrose Cemetery

Address: 4333 Melrose Rd, Roseburg, Douglas, Oregon, 97471

GPS Coordinates: 43.245843 -123.470069

Information (transcribed from posting found at cemetery during 29 Apr 2019 visit)
The Melrose Cemetery Association was formed in 1918. The site had been used prior to that time for many years as a cemetery. One of the first persons buried in the cemetery was Jones Flourney whose grave is believed to be at the SW corner of the "Old Plat". The first actual organized cemetery group was known as the "Melrose Graveyard Fund," started in about the 1880-90's. The ground for the cemetery was donated by Henry Conn III, who settled the area in 1854 and by Jesse T. Arandt, who settled here in 1853. At a later date (possibly at the formation of the association) Charles Keizer donated a piece of land which squared off and completed the cemetery grounds as it now exists.

Forty acres were donated to be a school district and cemetery grounds (the actual date is unknown). However, the ground has been used since that time for the purpose of school (for a time) and cemetery. Many people were buried in the cemetery before it was actually formed, about the 1860's and 70's; at that time it was called the Melrose Graveyard. The present cemetery was incorporated in 1916 as the "Melrose Cemetery Association." James W. Conn was the first president.

In 1923, when students were moved to the present day Melrose school site, funds and labor were donated. A chapel and Sunday school were built from the two room school and it was dedicated for church and cemetery purposes. Many of the families who donated their time and money for this purpose are now buried in the cemetery.

Recently a surveyor's rock was found at approximately the NW corner of the cemetery dated 1917.