Originally a Mexican Land Grant in 1840, the ownership of Rancho Guadalupe was acquired by Theodore LeRoy, who formed the layout of the community. The fertile lands and temperate climate attracted Swiss-Italian and Portuguese dairymen and farmers to the area. Spanish-Mexican, English, Scots, Irish, Jewish, and German merchants settled in the area and established their families.  By the late 1860’s and 1870’s, the town of Guadalupe began to flourish and prosper.  Later, Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos settled in Guadalupe and further contributed to Guadalupe’s multicultural history.

The town was defined by a collection of lots, houses, businesses, a post office, and two lodges: The Masonic Lodge, and The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), which were formed in 1874. The lodges met in the two-story adobe (now long since dismantled) and, with about 100 families in town, the two lodges jointly purchased the property that became the cemetery.  This land was soon in use for those who did not use the Catholic Cemetery on Point Sal Road.  The two lodges shared expenses, record keeping, care of the grounds, and fee collection.  By 1918 lodge members were moving to larger lodges in Santa Maria, and by 1920 they turned the cemetery over to the County of Santa Barbara. Today, the grounds are maintained by a foreman and assistant, an office manager, and administered by a board of Trustees.

Some early names found on headstones are Pezzoni, Tognazzini, Dolcini, Maretti, Campodonico, Righetti, Ferini, and Silva. There are now over 3500 names written.  The cemetery has recently been expanded.

The Guadalupe Cemetery is a well-known landmark in the Central Coast. Publications have noted the  serene beauty of the cemetery, and visitors and    photographers, both locally and from overseas, have admired the tall angel statues, small mausoleum,  baby markers, and unique Japanese markers. Now, a new flagpole dedicated in 2004 by American Legion Post 371 honors local veterans of all wars.