The Medford IOOF Cemetery, also known as the Eastwood Cemetery, was founded in 1890 by the Medford Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF). The cemetery is located on about twenty acres at Siskiyou Boulevard and Highland Drive in the southeastern suburbs of the city. It was moved to the oak-studded, hillside location after a flood damaged the original site, which had been established in 1887. The IOOF Lodge purchased the land, part of the William Barneburg Donation Land Claim, for $700. The Barneburg family had buried two family members at the highest elevation on the site in 1878 and 1883.
The cemetery is mostly laid out in a conventional grid pattern, with the original entrance at the northwest corner, marked by a gateway with large pillars. The oldest graves, which were moved to the cemetery from the earlier site, are located near the original gateway. Other early graves, primarily of lodge members and their families, are in an area that is organized concentrically around the original Barneburg family plot. This area, known as the IOOF Circle, is radially subdivided with alleys oriented to the four cardinal directions.
Most of the burial plots in the cemetery are defined by low concrete coping, often with urns or arborvitae marking the corners. A few plots are enclosed by wrought iron fencing bearing the insignia of the Stewart Iron Works in Cincinnati, Ohio. Grave markers, carved by local artists such as James Carr Whipp, proprietor of the Jacksonville Marble Works, were cut from imported marble or locally quarried granite. The markers range from small, plain stones to elaborately sculpted monuments featuring symbols of fraternal organizations and popular motifs such as a lamb, which was commonly used to mark a child’s grave.
Many significant people in Medford’s history are buried in the cemetery, including Iradell J. Phipps (1838-1913), who donated land for the Medford townsite, and Joseph H. Stewart (1838-1911), who established the commercial fruit industry in southern Oregon. Japanese pioneers are buried in the cemetery, as well as veterans of the Black Hawk War, the Civil War, the Spanish American War, World War I, and World War II.
In 1925, a rectangular, concrete mausoleum, designed by builder George D. Mason from California, was added to the cemetery just south of the IOOF Circle. The ground plan features a vestibule at the entrance on the north, a chapel on the south, and wings that project to the east and west. The interior is ornamented with Alaskan white marble wainscoting on the walls and crypts, and a stained-glass window depicting Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene is attributed to the Povey Brothers Studio in Portland.
A 1947 addition on the north side obliterated the classical style façade of the mausoleum, although the original bronze doors were preserved. Buried together in the same crypt are brothers Harry (1888-1950) and David Holmes (1881-1959) (originally Harry and David Rosenberg), founders of Bear Creek Orchards and the Harry & David fruit-packing business.
Because of declining membership and financial difficulties in the 1960s, the IOOF Lodge requested that the City of Medford take responsibility for the cemetery. In 1972, the cemetery was deeded to the city. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
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Medford IOOF Cemetery
Medford IOOF Cemetery, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Medford IOOF Cemetery
Medford IOOF Cemetery, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Barneburg Family plot
Barneburg Family plot, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Medford IOOF Cemetery
Medford IOOF Cemetery, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Original entry gate
Original entry gate, Courtesy Ann M. Nicgorski
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Mausoleum, east view
Mausoleum, east view, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Original wrought-iron fencing
Original wrought-iron fencing, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Mausoleum, south window
Mausoleum, south window, Courtesy Ann M. Nicgorski
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Mausoleum, north entrance door
Mausoleum, north entrance door, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Simple marker, 1898
Simple marker, 1898 , Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Marker, 1889. moved from original site
Marker, 1889. moved from original site, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Black Hawk War veteran
Black Hawk War veteran, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Civil War veteran
Civil War veteran, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Marker, army nurse
Marker, army nurse, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Spanish American War veteran
Spanish American War veteran, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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World War I veteran
World War I veteran, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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World War I, Sanitary Train veteran
World War I, Sanitary Train veteran, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Marker for a child
Marker for a child, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Marker with Masons symbol
Marker with Masons symbol, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Marker with hand wreath
Marker with hand wreath, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Marker for Kyuzo Nishijima, 1861
Marker for Kyuzo Nishijima, 1861, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Marker with engraved oak leaves
Marker with engraved oak leaves, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Marker with finely carved palmetto
Marker with finely carved palmetto, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Phipps Family gravesite
Phipps Family gravesite, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Stewart Family plot
Stewart Family plot, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Unique marker
Unique marker, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Unique marker
Unique marker, Courtesy George S. Stellingwerf
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Further Reading
Atwood, Katherine C. “Medford I.O.O.F. Cemetery.” Nomination Form for the National Register of Historic Places, 1989. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/89000205.pdf