DATE: January 6, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Sally Gomez, County Librarian
David Rodriguez, Chair, Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission
SUBJECT: Historic Landmark - Liberty Cemetery
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve designation and placement of Liberty Cemetery on the County’s Register of Centennial Places; and
2. Authorize the Chairman to execute the certificate for a Centennial Place.
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Approval of the first recommended action will allow the Liberty Cemetery to be placed on the County’s List of Historic Landmarks. It would become the 354th landmark on the local register. The Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission recommends historic sites and structures to be listed on the Fresno County’s List of Historic Places. Approval of the recommended action will allow for the Board chairman to execute the certificate for a Historic Cemetery. Approval by the Board of Supervisors encourages preservation of the County’s history. Although this pertains to a location in District 1, this item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board could choose to not approve these actions, which would result in the Liberty Cemetery not being added to the list of historical places at this time.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions.
DISCUSSION:
Liberty Cemetery, commonly known as Veteran’s Liberty Cemetery was dedicated May 30, 1918, as the final resting place for men and women who served in America’s armed conflicts. First proposed by Mayor William Toomey for veterans of WW I, it was named by him in honor of Liberty Bonds sold to support the war effort. In 1896 the original cemetery was sold to Post 92 of the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union Veterans of the Civil War organization, for $8.80 to bury indigent Union veterans. The first of these was Lt. Homer Andrews of the 2nd Ohio Light Artillery on March 9, 1896. Spanish American War Veterans were included two years later, and the cemetery was further expanded and improved in 1913. By 1920, the County of Fresno was given the responsibility of the site and additional land east of the original plot was added as well.
Today, Liberty Cemetery comprises approximately 5 acres and is the final resting place for nearly 4000 veterans and immediate family members. A monument was also added during a dedication and celebration of the first hundred years of the Liberty Cemetery held on May 30, 2018. Currently, the Liberty Cemetery is maintained by the Department of Public Works and Planning and approval of the proposed historic designation will not conflict with ongoing maintenance and repair activities.
The Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission reviewed this application and voted unanimously to recommend that the location be listed on the Fresno County’s List of Historic Places at their September 12, 2024, meeting.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Historic Place Certificate
CAO ANALYST:
Mary Lu Valencia