Our Story
Lancaster Cemetery was officially founded in 1902 when Valley pioneer Benjamin Carter donated the land to Los Angeles in trust for the citizens of Lancaster, although Lancaster did not become a city until 1977, burial took place on the property beginning in the 1890's in the unincorporated northern area of Los Angeles County with the first recorded burial in 1895.
Lancaster Cemetery District, a Special District established in 1950, was later changed to Antelope Valley Cemetery District in 2017 to reflect the change in the expanded District Boundaries.
Our Mission Statement in accordance with Senate Bill 341 (Senate Committee on Local Government), Chapter 57, Statutes of 2003, Revising the Public Cemetery District Law, the Board of Trustees of the Lancaster Cemetery District hereby adopts the following:
The Lancaster Cemetery District of Los Angeles County was formed by the local electorate in 1950 so that citizens could be provided with respectful and cost-effective ways to inter human remains. The District entered into an agreement with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to manage, control, operate, maintain and care for the cemetery located at 111 East Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster, California 93535 in the interest of the citizens residing within District Boundaries.
Today the Antelope Valley Cemetery District is a proud member of the California Special Districts Association, California Association of Public Cemeteries, Special District Risk Management Authority and Prospect of the Green Burial Council.
Pioneers such as Myrtie and George Webber, owners of the Western Hotel on Lancaster Boulevard are interred here along with many of the founding families such as the Settles, the Burtons, the Reynolds, the Goddes, the Carters, along with numerous other pioneers and their families. Over 1,050 U.S Veterans are at rest throughout the 12 acres of this serene cemetery where they are always remembered and honored by the community.
Download this Self Guided Tour and visit us any day of the year, the cemetery grounds are open 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset.