The cemetery was established in 1874 when Senator Charles Maclay created the Township of San Fernando.

After the cemetery was determined to be legally abandoned in 1959, it was acquired by the Native Daughters of the Golden West, San Fernando Mission Chapter #280, renamed, and maintained as a pioneer memorial park.

In 2002, the Native Daughters gave the cemetery to the San Fernando Valley Historical Society.

The Society has made many improvements to the property, including installing a memorial brick entrance and opening the cemetery to the public one day a month on the third Saturday.

[5] It is listed as a filming location for the 1959 Ed Wood movie “Plan 9 From Outer Space.”