Benson Historic Research

The 7th Street Cemetery in Benson was established in 1881. The land was deeded to the City of Benson as a cemetery by the Pacific Improvement Company, the California-based land company of the Southern Pacific Railroad, in March 1929. Burial plots were sold to residents by the City of Benson and the cemetery continues to be maintained by the city. The first person buried was William McDonald on October 10, 1881. His grave is unmarked. The first marked grave is Charles H. Fullerton, buried October 13, 1883. The last burial was Nicholas Solas in 1975. Some graves contain several bodies, as was common in old cemeteries. Below is a book by Edward Ellsworth, whose research documents almost all of the people buried in the 7th Street Cemetery, although most of those grave locations are unmarked. Many of the grave markers were wooden and lost in a fire many years ago.

Benson Pioneer Cemetery Book - Edward Ellsworth