Reuben Shipley, a slave and early black Benton County pioneer, drove a team of oxen to Oregon in the 1850s in exchange for his freedom. He was employed in the neighboring Plymouth community and managed to save $1,500 which he used to purchase 80 acres of land. Mt. Union Cemetery was established and deeded to Benton County in 1861 on two acres of land donated by Reuben Shipley from the northwest corner of this 80-acre farm on condition that black people could be buried here. It is situated on the east-facing slope of Mt. Union.
In 1857 Reuben Shipley married Mary Jane Holmes. Though a long court battle had granted her freedom, Shipley paid $700 for permission to marry her. Reuben and Mary Jane Shipley are buried in Mt. Union Cemetery. Look for them under the name Ficklin.