Gold Mining Town of Negro Bar Cemetery and 2022 Armed Forces Day Celebration

Lakeside Memorial Lawn Cemetery is located at 1201 Forrest Street in Folsom, California includes five historic burial grounds.

These cemeteries all flow together, and it is difficult to designate where one starts and one finishes.

They are: The Negro Bar Cemetery (later referred to as Citizens Cemetery); The Cook’s or American Legion Cemetery (later referred to as the Citizens Cemetery as well); The Jewish Cemetery (est about 1861); The Odd Fellows Cemetery and The Masonic Cemetery.

The Negro Bar Cemetery was originally associated with the Negro Bar Gold Rush Era Mining Town with burials at the cemetery as early as 1846-1849. The original footprint of Negro Bar, which is a California State Historical Site is today used as City of Folsom Corporate Yard, formerly the Folsom City Dump after being used as a key site for the construction of Folsom Dam.

On the North shore of today's prime real estate, Lake Natoma Waterfront, a small recreational area was set aside within the vast Folsom Lake Recreational Area managed by California State Parks honor the early pioneers of Negro Bar, Negro Hill and Mormon Island who clearly were of African Descent along today's American River Parkway and shoreline of Folsom Lake established long after the California Gold Rush Era.

Burials at Negro Bar cemetery started as early as 1846-1849.

References to the Citizens Cemetery appear in church records and newspaper obituaries until 1942.

In addition there is a Chinese Cemetery separate from the other five and closed to the public due to vandalism. There is also a New Masonic Cemetery (est. about 1924) but there are no markers as to where it is located.

The original Odd Fellows and Masonic Cemeteries were purchased jointly by the Granite Lodge of Odd Fellows and the Natoma Lodge of Masons in 1862, although some sources indicate burials for those lodges were already taking place in these cemeteries as early as 1850.

Huge old California Date Palms surround the Odd Fellows Cemetery and Cedar of Lebanon trees are planted within the Masonic Cemetery as new plans to include a crematory were not approved greater historical tourism and respect for the early pioneers by draw cultural tourism to the region.

US Armed Forces Service Members are buried throughout the cemeteries and the nearby Folsom's VFW Post 6604 hosts a plethora of events honoring all who have served in a good way.