Discovering San Mateo's hidden cemetery

However, there is another. Hidden away from most San Mateo residents, located at the west end of Oregon Avenue in the middle of a quiet, upscale residential area, lies a graveyard established 117 years ago.

The answer to the trivia question, then, is there is one cemetery in San Mateo: St. John's Cemetery, at 910 Oregon Ave. Today there are more than 3,700 grave sites at the nearly sold-out, 8.5-acre cemetery. It is located at the top of Oregon Avenue, south of Nevada Avenue, west of Alameda de las Pulgas. But it wasn't the first.

The first cemetery in San Mateo was built in 1877 by Agnes Tilton for her husband John Quincy Adams Tilton. It occupied the land between the railroad tracks and Delaware Avenue, just north of Tilton Drive. However, the growing town coveted the Tilton land for development, and, thus, San Mateo needed a new cemetery. In 1884, the devout Abby Parrott donated 6 acres of prime western land to the Roman Catholic Church. She named it St. John's Cemetery, in memory of her husband John Parrott Sr. who died that year.

Botanist John McLaren, who sowed the eucalyptus trees which line El Camino Real in Burlingame, planted some

of the trees which still inhabit the cemetery. Dedicated on May 25, 1886, the cemetery offered 3 consecrated

acres for Catholics and 2 unconsecrated acres for Protestants. A portion of the graveyard was also set aside for paupers.

On February 23, 1853, native Virginian and banker John Parrott married Abby Eastman Meaher, beginning one of the great familial lines of San Mateo history. In 1859, John Parrott acquired Frederick Macondray's Brookside estate. Parrott eventually changed the name to Baywood, as the estate eventually grew to encompass 400 acres south of San Mateo Creek, spreading west into the hills. Hence, John Parrott became one of the great early land owners of San Mateo. Parrott Drive, named for him, now bisects the land which once made up the Parrott Baywood estate.

John and Abby had eight children together. Although John maintained a residence on Rincon Hill in San Francisco, Abby and the children spent most of their time at the Baywood home, located near present day El Camino Real at 120 W. Third Ave. As one-time U.S. Consul to Mazatlan, Mexico, John also fathered two illegitimate children, Tiburcio and Magdalena. However, he brought Tiburcio and Magdalena to San Mateo to live openly with his family.

Legend has that at his deathbed, John begged his wife to let the people know that he was a generous man. Abby reportedly spent years after John's death feeding the poor vagabonds who walked the County Road, today's El Camino Real. It is thought Abby oversaw the feeding of perhaps 300,000 homeless people over the years who enjoyed dinner at Baywood. In 1900, Abby donated the land for the great brick St. Matthew's Catholic Church, which stood at the site of the corner of today's Ellsworth and Third avenues. This beloved matriarch of San Mateo died in 1917, at the age of 89.

By far, the most impressive feature at St. John's Cemetery is the looming, domed Parrott family crypt, located in the northeast corner of cemetery. The structure features a towering, lead-covered dome, supported by Romanesque columns and pilasters. The floor is a blend of black slate and white marble, while the crypt's concrete exterior is made to resemble stone. Some say it is San Mateo's most outstanding 19th century structure. A mortuary turned monument, a Mass honoring John Sr. was actually celebrated at the crypt until 1929.

In addition to John Sr. and Abby, other members of the Parrott clan are interred in the great monument. John Parrott Jr. (1859-1918), who married Mary Emilie Donohoe (1862-1965), is also buried in the crypt. John and Mary lived in a famous cottage called Bungalow, located near Abby's Baywood estate. John Jr., a pianist and enthusiastic patron of music, may be best known as the founder of Burlingame Country Club.

Two of the Parrott men died while serving in World War I. Serving in the 62nd Infantry of the United States Army, Joseph Augustine Parrott (1888-1918) died at Camp Fremont Hospital, then located in Menlo Park. He succumbed to Spanish influenza, part of the influenza epidemic and scare that infected more than 2,000 individuals on the Peninsula during World War I. Edmund or Edward Anthony Parrott (1896-1918) reportedly was shot behind enemy lines. He was buried in France. A plaque honoring his memory hangs within the Parrott Crypt.

Other Parrotts honored within the memorial include Stephan Vincent Parrott (1899-1965), Frances Cuthbert Parrott (1898-1917) and Genevieve Parrott (1889-1889), who apparently died in infancy.

The other impressive memorial of St. John's Cemetery stands like a Grecian temple just to the south of the Parrott crypt. Henry P. Bowie built it in 1893 for his wife, the renowned Agnes Poett Howard Bowie. Agnes married William Howard. After William died, she married his brother George, who built St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in San Mateo. When George Howard died, his body was interred in a crypt under the church. However, Agnes converted to Catholicism in order to marry Henry Bowie. Therefore, when Agnes died, she was barred from the tomb under St. Matthew's. Instead, her husband buried her beneath this unmarked temple-like tomb at St. John's Cemetery.<