The Mare Island Naval Cemetery is the oldest naval cemetery on the West Coast, and is in the process of being fully restored to the national shrine standards of the Department of Defense.

Burials began at this hillside cemetery in 1856 and continued until 1921. Although it’s not noted for big-name interments, there are some memorable stories among the headstones. Among the approximately 900 buried here are the daughter of Francis Scott Key, murderess Lucy Lawson, and six Russian sailors who were laid to rest near the middle during the Civil War era.

In 1975 the cemetery took its place in the National Register of Historic Places, as part of the Mare Island Naval Ammunition Depot Historic District. The cemetery will transfer over to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from the City of Vallejo on or before July 4, 2022.