Entry No. 3 — the San Diego file — filed under: former-cemetery

Pioneer Park (Mission Hills Park)

This was Calvary Cemetery, San Diego's second Catholic burial ground, from 1876 until the city legally "abandoned" it in 1961, trucked most of the headstones off to Mount Hope Cemetery, and turned it into a playground and picnic lawn by 1968 — but over 800 bodies, including aviator Charles Francis Walsh and hotelier Juan Bandini, are still in the ground under the tennis courts and swing sets.

The move: Bring a picnic to the lawn, then find the small memorial row near the entrance that preserves a handful of the surviving 19th-century headstones and the plaque listing who's still buried beneath the grass.

• 📍 Mission Hills
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 1521 Washington Pl, San Diego, CA 92103

Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: sandiego.gov · Wikipedia

last checked: 2026-07-19