The history of the Yorba Cemetery dates back to 1834. Don Bernardo Yorba petitioned Mexican Governor Figueroa for 13,000 acres of land on the northern side of the banks of the Santa Ana River. He was granted the land and named it Rancho Canon de Santa Ana, the Canyon of Saint Anne.

In 1858 Bernardo deeded to the Bishop of the Catholic Church a plot of land 1/4 miles west of his adobe ranch house. The land, the La Mesita, was a gently sloping hill with some corrals located on it. It would become the oldest private cemetery in Orange County predated only by the Mission Cemetery in Capistrano.

The cemetery closed in 1939. It fell victim of vandals who defaced and stole many of the rustic markers and marble headstones. As part of their dedication to the preservation of Orange County's cultural history, the Board of Supervisors in 1967 accepted the deed of the cemetery from the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Ranger staff and volunteers are currently trying to restore the damage caused by these vandals and years of neglect prior to the county's acquisition. 

Tours are available on the first Saturday of each month from 11:30am to 12:30pm (based on staff availability). To check tour status, call the phone number listed below on the fourth Thursday of each month.

For additional and tour information call (714) 973-3190.