Mount Pleasant, Seattle, King Co., Washington, USA

Notater:
Mount Pleasant Cemetery


One of Seattle's oldest burying places, and comprised of several ethnic origins, denominations, and cultures. Nils Peterson, a Queen Anne Hill homesteader, deeded 10 acres of his land to the Odd Fellows in the late 1870s to be used as a fraternal burying ground. The Free Methodist Church purchased another 10 acres under the name of the Seattle Methodist Seminary (now Seattle Pacific University) in 1882. Seattle undertakers Cross and Company purchased the remainder of the land from Peterson later in 1882. The original entry was on the north side of the property. The Mount Pleasant Cemetery Association assumed the latter two properties in 1895 and developed the cemetery in stages around the turn of the 20th century, constructing a new entry gate on the south side. At that same time, the Gibboth Olum Reform Cemetery (established by Congregation Chaveth Sholem, and now known as Hills of Eternity), the Arthur A Wright funeral home and crematory, and the Queen Anne Columbarium were established nearby. Large blocks of the Mount Pleasant real estate were purchased by the Chong Wa Chinese Benevolent Society. Seattle's black community purchased a dedicated section at the center of the cemetery. The Islamic section, with graves oriented towards Mecca, was set aside in 1979. In 1987 the cemetery, in poor condition, was sold to the Edwards family, who continue to operate the cemetery. Today the 40-acre property, legally consolidated in 1999 with that of the Odd Fellows, contains over 60,000 verified burials, several community memorials, and notable persons of local and national significance.