Visitation Cemetery
The Cemetery Series – Episode 6:
Surrounded by beautiful views and farmland, Visitation Cemetery provides a well-landscaped and quiet environment for families and friends to visit their loved ones who have passed on.
Established on January 13th, 1882, the three-acre private cemetery is just a mile up the road from Visitation Catholic Church in Verboort, Oregon. The church is well-known in the Portland, Oregon area for its annual Sausage and Sauerkraut Festival, held every November since 1934.
The pathway in the center of the cemetery leads you to a sizeable cross, which gives a sense of comfort to its Catholic visitors. This cross is not alone as there are many other crosses on headstones which dot the burial landscape.
First-time visitors who are unfamiliar with Visitation Cemetery will notice something unique about those buried here – and that is, the commonality of the family surnames. A vast majority of those laid to rest can have their ancestral roots traced back to Europe, specifically, to the country of the Netherlands.
On March 9th, 1848, John Verboort and his family left the Netherlands due to poverty and the Dutch potato famine of 1846-1847. After 58 days at sea, the family arrived in Boston on May 5th, 1848. They settled in Wisconsin for 25 years before heading to Oregon on the promise of a better life. In February of 1875, the Verboort’s and five other families purchased the Black place property in western Washington County. They intended to start a Catholic colony in the State of Oregon. Soon afterward, they divided the land into separate dwellings, as well as stables and farmable sections.
Father William Verboort, son of John Verboort, presided over a temporary chapel, under the title of St. Francis Xavier. The new community soon named itself “The Catholic Colony of Forest Grove.” Later, a tragic turn of events followed the Verboort family. Father Verboort’s mother passed away on June 23rd, 1876. The priest who was not in good health himself administered the last rights to his mother. Twelve days later, a sickly Father Verboort was transported by wheelbarrow to give the last rights to his dying father. The priest himself died ten days later after succumbing to pneumonia and an infection in his leg.
In honor of the Verboort family, The Catholic Colony of Forest Grove” renamed itself “Verboort.”
A recent addition to Visitation Cemetery is a section called the “Resting Gardens.” The Resting Gardens provides a peaceful area of the cemetery that allows visitors to pray and reflect on memories of their dearly departed family and friends.
A detailed history of the cemetery which was written by Florence Evers Herinckx, can be found on the Visitation Catholic Church’s website.
Additional pictures used in the video courtesy of:
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