Galt in Sacramento County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Cemetery of Children

1. Cemetery of Children Marker

Inscription. Old Liberty was a stagecoach stop in the north east section of San Joaquin County. It linked lower Sacramento to the gold country. As the weary pioneers would pass through Liberty they buried their loved ones here and several of them were children that could not survive the harsh traveling conditions. Many of them could not afford the $2 dollar burial fee inside the 5 acre grounds and it was once said by Mr. Sexton that sometimes there would be fresh mounds surrounding the cemetery in the morning. In 1961 the California Highway and Public Works started excavating around Liberty Cemetery for the state's new section of highway 99. In doing so to the west of the cemetery gates they claimed to have moved 19 graves and one being a mass grave of small children. To this day no one knows where the children came from. It was also speculated that there is more grave sites underneath the highway and in the surrounding vicinity of Liberty Cemetery. Some of the last graves to be put into the cemetery are here at this location where once stood a Public Works marker for those relocated graves that were destroyed by one of the many grass

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fires along with 40 to 50 other wooden markers in the cemetery.

Erected 2019 by E Clampus Vitus Tuleburg Chapter 69.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. In addition, it is included in the E Clampus Vitus series list.

Location. 38° 14.038′ N, 121° 16.709′ W. Marker is in Galt, California, in Sacramento County. It can be reached from Liberty Road east of Golden State Highway (California Highway 99). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Galt CA 95632, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Sacramento Metro,

in the Sacramento Valley,

and specifically in the Central Valley.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured

Photographed by Steven Armstrong, October 12, 2019

2. Cemetery of Children Marker

as the crow flies: Louis Andreas (a few steps from this marker); Liberty Flag Pole (within shouting distance of this marker); Liberty California (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chism Cooper Fugitt and Elizabeth (McWilliams) Fugitt (about 400 feet away); Galt Water Tower (approx. 1.9 miles away); Don Ray Building (approx. 1.9 miles away); George A. Lippi and Joseph F. Smith (approx. 2 miles away); St. Luke's Episcopal Church (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Galt.

Liberty Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Diane Phillips

3. Liberty Cemetery

Photographed by Diane Phillips

4. Liberty Cemetery

Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 15, 2019, by Frank Gunshow Sanchez of Hollister, California. This page has been viewed 1,240 times since then and 91 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 15, 2019. 2. submitted on July 19, 2020, by Steven Armstrong of Sacramento, California. 3, 4. submitted on August 16, 2020, by Diane Phillips of Pittsburg, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.