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County Cemetery (aka Chinese Cemetery, Soldiers and Sailors Cemetery), Port Townsend, Jefferson County, Washington

 County Cemetery Map
County Cemetery Records (Printable PDF Version)

ESTABLISHED: about 1893

SPECIAL NOTE:  The County Cemetery is overgrown to the point that an onsite update was not possible. No burials have taken place in this cemetery since 1945. The listing appears to be mostly a compilation of information obtained from Jefferson County Funeral Home records, but we are not certain of its accuracy. The index for this cemetery presented is the 1985 list revised to include all Funeral Home listings. A review of the 1985 records identified a number of graves that cannot be documented from contemporary sources. These listings remain a part of the record for the cemetery and are identified as “source of information unknown”.

LOCATION: On 25th Street, 1 block W of Discovery Road, behind (west of) Redmen Cemetery. From the Jefferson County Courthouse in Port Townsend, go 0.3 miles NNW on Walker Street to the intersection of 19th and Walker Streets. Turn left on 19th Street, go 0.3 miles to San Juan Avenue. Turn right on San Juan Avenue, go 0.3 miles to the intersection of San Juan Avenue and 24th Street. Turn left on 24th Street, go 0.2 miles to Discovery Road. Turn right on Discovery Road, go 0.1 miles to 25th Street. Turn left onto 25th Street, go 0.1 miles. County Cemetery is on both sides of your location on 25th Street.

HISTORY: A sketch prepared by J. B. Hogg, County Surveyor, dated December 1899, shows both general burial areas and assigned gravesite areas with existing graves for British Seamen, the Chinese, the Coast Seaman’s Union, the Fireman’s Union, the I.O.G.T., the I.O.O.F., and the Knights of Pythias.

SOLDIERS AND SAILORS: In 1900, the county commissioners had a plat surveyed in the county cemetery – 68¾ ft by 112½ ft – and ordered it set aside for burials of soldiers and sailors who died  in the Marine Hospital. It was understood that this plat would be fenced separately from the county cemetery by the government and would be beautified by the planting of trees and shrubs, etc., and would be made as attractive as such a place could reasonably be expected to be.  (“U.S. Marine Hospital Cemetery”, Port Townsend Morning Leader, May 6, 1900, page 4, col. 3.)

OWNER: Jefferson County

SEXTON RECORDS: none

CONTACT PERSON: none

JCGS INDEXES: 1985

MAP: A map of burial areas is available in the box of cemetery maps on the JCGS shelves.

COMPILERS: This project could not be completed without the help of many people: In 1985 Frieda Imislund. In 2009 Database formatting by Bev Brice.

Source of Information: JCGS members compiled an index for the cemetery in 1985. This information came from a combination of walking the cemetery and funeral home records. In 1985 no distinction was made between information found in the records as opposed to seen on the walk through. No additional information has been added to this database, due to the overgrown condition of the cemetery. The last burial was in 1945. As is true with all indexes that are a compilation of records, errors may have occurred. It is suggested that you verify the information.

For additional information:

File updated: 2 Feb 2011