Orleans was established about 1850 and was once a thriving little community. The town was destroyed by the great flood of 1861, which altered the river course; the cemetery remains because it was laid out on high ground. Cemetery is located on D.L.C. of Daniel Cushman.

The following information is transcribed from the WPA Linn County Cemetery Survey, researched & prepared by Leslie L. Haskin on (undated, ca. 1940):

The Orleans Cemetery is situated on a portion of the Daniel Cushman Donation Land Claim (apparently the extreme southeastern corner of the claim), in Section 32, Township 11 South of Range 4 West in Linn County. The cemetery lies to the south of the Corvallis-Albany market road and upon a bench-like rise of land exactly opposite Orleans Chapel....

The history of this cemetery as gathered from local informants seems to be as follows- In the early 1850's - exact year unknown - a cemetery was begun "in an oak grove about one mile to the south of the present cemetery." A number of persons were buried at that place but it was not found to be a convenient situation and about the year 1862 Daniel Cushman contributed one acre of ground on the public road through his claim for permanent cemetery purposes and all the graves from the first plot were opened and the bodies removed to the new burying ground. It was stated that the first burial in the old plot was that of a "Bennett child" of perhaps twelve years of age who died from burns. If this is true here grave is not here marked. The earliest death of record here is that of Lucy, wife of William H. Hess who died on February 25, 1855. The second burial is Elizabeth, daughter of D. (Daniel) and O. Cushman who died April 10, 1855. The third is that of Holloway Cushman who died September 18, 1855. According to the above information it is believed that all deaths before the year 1862 were first interred in the old cemetery one mile south and later moved to this place. It was also stated that the first direct interment n this tract after its establishment was that of the contributor of the land - Daniel Cushman - who died on March 29, 1862. (The above account is rather circumstantial and subject to correction.)

The name of this cemetery is of very early origin as the first voting precinct in this region was so named. A town of the same name was begun on the river bank just east of present Corvallis but was destroyed by the high water of the year 1861-62....

Most people, seeing the Orleans Chapel beside the cemetery of the same name reach the conclusion that the chapel preceded the cemetery. (As is usually true in such instances.) This is not correct. The cemetery, established in 1855 and reestablished in 1862, was really the cause of the chapel being located here. This little neighborhood church was not built or organized until the year 1900 or 1901. It is chiefly of interest because much of the material used in its construction came from the razed building of the first United Presbyterian Church at Albany. Notably, both the windows and the benches now used here came from that building.

Online Transcriptions:

   Available at Jan Phillip's website.

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References used to prepare these cemetery pages are provided.
Lisa L. Jones prepared and is solely responsible for the content of these pages. 
Copyright 2001.