Blacktop covers entire cemetery. All grave have sinkholes.

To get to the cemetery go north on highway 12 through Kenwood, take a right on Pythian Rd. About 1/4 mile up across from the St. Francis Winery truck entrance you take a left. There is a sign saying not a through road and a there is a detour sign. Follow the road past the back of the old school building to the end of the road where there is a gate. To get to the cemetery, I had to walk through the gate, then through a second gate, neither was locked. Follow the dirt road. On the left side of the road is the cemetery.


The Pythian Cemetery is located or part of the original Los Guilucos Rancho land granted to John (Juan) Wilson by the then Governor of California, Juan Batista Alvarado on Nov 13, 1839. On Jan 20, 1924 the Grand Lodge of the Knights of Pythias purshased the "Kearns Ranch", 111 acres, from George Proctor and Wallace L. Ware as the site for a Home for the Elderly of that Paternal Order. The home was established and provisions were also made for orphaned children.

The Fraternal Order began a small 2.5 acre cemetery for its deceased members. On Apr 17, 1943, the property was leased to the State of California. All of the remaining Pythian guests were moved out and on Oct 27, 1944, the State of Caliornia purchased 1,308 acres from the Knights of Pythias for $100,000.

The main part of the cemetery, which consists of 89 3.3’ x 8’ plots, is surrounded by a small fence and has been, blacktopped over. Many of the markers are small wood markers, some which are unreadable, others, were partly readable and I tried to deciphered if I could. The wood markers had no dates. The other markers are, bronz with dates. At each grave the blacktop has a "sinkhole".
-Lori Wicks

There is a plot map posted at the cemetery.
It is very small and hard to photograph, so I typed it out.

Note:
The posted map shows Reed Ingraham in plot 54, but his headstone is located outside the fenced area.
Also, the small grave markers on site, are not in the same order as on the map, as the markers are NOT fixed to the ground and are easily moved.

Pythian Cemetery is a private location difficult to get to and identify as such.
it is marked by a low fence and becoming overgrown and most of the small wood markers are fast losing all (paint) info.
Some brass plaques present, many unmarked but for the overall plot location nailed on a tree

The Plaque of grave locations, in many cases the only information avail as many markers on the graves are gone or (the small 4x9 in wood) marker eroded to a non-legible state.
All possible plaques were photographed.