Cemeteries have creepy, storied past

Beneath the flowers and tombstones lie "suburban legends” and historical figures. Inventors, daredevils, professional athletes and politicians rest side by side in the county’s graveyards waiting to be discovered.

Many of the coastside cemeteries were let go over the years, creating the spooky stereotypes expected of a cemetery on Halloween. The Purissima cemetery, just south of Half Moon Bay on the coast, created the most notorious "suburban legend” Mitch Postel, San Mateo County Historical Association executive director, can remember.

The cemetery is a depiction of the now deserted town since it is completely overgrown with poison oak. Below the leaves is a little boy buried years ago who caught a fever, went into a coma and was buried soon after, said Postel. An adult fell ill with the same symptoms about a week and a half later. When funeral preparations were just about complete, the man woke up from the coma. The revival worried the little boy’s parents, who began to wonder if they had buried their son too quickly.

The city exhumed the grave, to find the boy had flipped over inside the coffin, said Postel.

The story was passed down to the county historian, who isn’t sure of the truth behind the story. There are, however, a number of notable historical figures buried throughout the county, most in Colma.

The last known Tahi Indian, Ishi, is buried in Colma. He is thought to be the last "wild” Native American.

Legendary cowboy and frontier officer of the law, Wyatt Earp, permanently resides here. Earp is famous for a gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Ariz. During all his years of law enforcement and gunfights, Earp was never so much as grazed by a single bullet. Earp spent his final years working mining claims in the Mojave Desert during the winters while summering in nearby Los Angeles.

Aviation pioneers Lincoln Beachey and Jessica Dubroff found their final resting place in the county.

Beachey, who died in 1915, perfected aerodynamics before the word was invented. He started with balloons and invented an airplane in his early 20s.

Dubroff attempted to be the youngest person to fly across the United States. The small plane crashed shortly after take off, killing the 7 year old in 1996.

Baseball legend Joe DiMaggio has rested in Colma since 1999. DiMaggio had a 13-year career leading the Yankees to 10 pennants, nine World Series Championships and a record 56-game hitting streak.

Entertainers Laura Hope Crews and Steve Silver are both buried in Colma.

Crews, who died in 1942, is best known for playing Aunt Pittypat Hamilton in the 1939 movie classic, "Gone With the Wind.”

Silver, who died in 1995, was the creator of Beach Blanket Babylon. The San Francisco campy musical revue with ridiculously large hats began in 1974 and still runs today.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by e-mail: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.