Mount Union Cemetery in Philomath has been awarded a $603 grant through Oregon’s historic cemetery preservation program to fund the purchase and installation of outdoor security lighting at the site.
The Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries announced last week that it has awarded $62,501 in grants to 14 historic cemetery projects statewide through the Historic Cemeteries Grant program.
Mount Union Cemetery was formally established on May 11, 1861, on two acres of land donated by Reuben Shipley, a formerly enslaved man who had come to Oregon in 1853 and purchased 80 acres in the Plymouth community near Philomath.
Shipley donated the land on the condition that Black people could be buried there, and the cemetery’s name was chosen to reflect solidarity with the anti-slavery Northern forces during the Civil War. Shipley and his wife, Mary Jane, are among those buried at the site, which today spans 6.7 acres just outside the eastern edge of Philomath.
The OCHC grant program is offered annually and supported by lottery and other funds through the Oregon Heritage Program at Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. To qualify, a historic cemetery must include the burial of at least one person who died at least 75 years before the current date.
Other projects funded in the 2026 grant cycle include:
- Fence installation at Blue Mountain Cemetery in Baker County ($4,805)
- Marker repair at Eastwood IOOF Cemetery in Medford ($4,175), Fairview Cemetery in Linn County ($4,288), Riverside Cemetery in Albany ($6,575), Sand Ridge Cemetery in Linn County ($3,016), St. Boniface Cemetery in Marion County ($4,855) and Twin Oaks Cemetery in Marion County ($5,000)
- Tree work at Bridal Veil Cemetery in Multnomah County ($4,734), Burch Pioneer Cemetery in Polk County ($4,000) and Missouri Flat Cemetery in Jackson County ($5,500)
- Ground penetrating radar work at Camp Polk Cemetery in Deschutes County ($5,950)
- A complete survey at Allegany Historic Cemetery in Coos County ($1,000)
- Gravel road repair at Powers Cemetery in Coos County ($8,000)
The OCHC is a seven-member appointed commission that helps individuals and organizations document, preserve and promote designated historic cemeteries across Oregon.