Mining past lives in today’s cemetery
April 1, 2011
By Kelly Humphreys
Just a short distance from the hustle and bustle of Newcastle City Hall, one can be transported back in time. The Newcastle Historic Cemetery offers a window into the town’s mining past.
Newcastle began as a company-owned mining town, explained Pam Lee, who has been involved with the Newcastle Historical Society since its beginning. She said that the land and the mines were originally owned by the Pacific Coast Coal Co.
The Newcastle Historic Cemetery, just northwest of Lake Boren Park, is a moss-coated reminder of the city’s coal mining past. By Kelly Humphreys
During the late 1800s, the 2.2-acre cemetery was created to serve as a final resting place for the immigrant miners, whose ethnicities varied from Welsh to Italian. Also buried there were the families of those in the surrounding town.
No gravestones are apparent as you enter the cemetery; one has to venture up a short hill to truly see the site. A variety of grave markers are spread throughout the moss-covered grounds. Those made of stone are still visible today, casting shadows over the root-bound landscape. Some are shrouded by the many trees that encompass the area.
A paper flyer detailing the history of the cemetery can be viewed on a bulletin-board upon entering. According to this document, there were once wooden grave markers that were swept away in a fire in the early 1900s.
The Seattle Genealogical Society mapped the cemetery in 2008 and recorded the names of many of those buried there, some of whom still have family in Newcastle. Linda Fitzgerald, who works for the society, describes it as a “beautiful little place.”
She said one of the most exciting finds during the project were two graves hidden in the overgrowth in the top corner of the cemetery. They discovered that those graves belonged to two black miners who came to work in Newcastle during a strike. Fitzgerald said the separation of those graves from the others was common during the time.
Today, the cemetery is surrounded by a housing development. Lee said a fence was put in place before the neighborhood could be built, in order to protect the grounds. She said many residents are unaware of the cemetery, but when people discover it “they are really proud to have a special identity.”
“It’s comforting to know that there’s something unique and historic about where they live,” Lee added.
In 1980, the mining cemetery was designated a State Historic Landmark and two years later, a King County Historic Landmark.
Due to extensive damage from vandalism in the 1960s and ‘70s, the cemetery is now locked to the public, said Aleta Phillips, of the city clerk’s office. The gates are open on Memorial Day, during Newcastle Days and by appointment.
Public Works Infrastructure Manager Brian Smith said his team goes in quarterly to maintain the grounds. In addition to cutting the grass and cleaning the headstones, they also attempt to remove invasive plant species. A lack of funding and resources has put a headstone restoration project on hold.
Smith said that there has been talk of replacing the current chain-link fence with a nicer alternative, but the cost has postponed it. He is hoping to obtain a grant for the project.
Lee said that many individuals are involved in maintaining the historic cemetery. In addition to the Historical Society, local Scout troops and the Newcastle Weed Warriors have aided in the upkeep.
The cemetery “is a source of pride for the city,” said Lee. “It’s a pleasant and peaceful place to be.”
Kelly Humphreys is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.
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