Welcome to
Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery Park
For the neighbors of GAR Cemetery Park, this place is more than just a historic cemetery and park, it's the site of cherished community gatherings and neighborhood memories.
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When discussing GAR Cemetery Park with some of its neighbors, many have fond memories of different ways their family and friends have used this unique space. “It felt like an extension of our backyard,” recounted former resident Anna Rudd. Several neighbors recall the neighborhood kids playing in the cemetery and surrounding park, playing “tombstone tag” and hiding behind the hedge. Out on the lawn of the park, community members have hosted summer picnics, Friday night get togethers, and birthday parties. Several neighbors remember the cemetery and park as essential parts of raising their children, and that they would like to see this continue to be a special place for families in the community. It remains a unique space that the community treasures, both for its history and the personal memories they have made there. “How interesting is it,” remarked resident Sibyl Frankenburg, “to have this little piece of history from a time that can feel so distant as part of our everyday lives.”
Saving GAR Cemetery Park
In 1996, a proposal was made to the city of Seattle to make GAR Cemetery Park an off leash dog run. In order to protect this historic space from the potential damage an off-leash dog run could bring, the neighbors banded together to oppose this proposal. After getting organized through neighborhood meetings, a letter writing campaign, and posting leaflets around the neighborhood, in 1997, the Friends of the GAR Cemetery Park (FGAR) group was born. “It gave us a reason to get together, to get connected,” said Anna Rudd, an early FGAR member. Equally concerned about this proposal was the local chapter Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), a fraternal organization of descendants of Union Civil War Veterans, and the Auxiliary to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (ASUVCW), SUVCW's women's auxiliary group. These organizations are the legal descendants of the original GAR and Women's Auxiliary posts that helped found and care for the cemetery, hence their passion for protecting this site.
FGAR ended up adopting the park and agreed to maintain it, and the SUVCW was designated the owners and maintaining party of the gravesites. From this point, founding FGAR member Cynthia Wells became interested in pursuing a grant to help clean up GAR Cemetery Park, and in 2002 landscape architects Karen Kiest and Brooks Kolb joined the effort as planning consultants. They suggested different plans for how to improve the park’s irrigation, greenery, and overall appearance. Through a series of public workshops that spanned over several months, the FGAR and the planning consultants decided on a plan of action that involved applying for a neighborhood grant, as well as creating an reimagined entrance among other improvements, and came to an agreement with the SUVCW on how this would be implemented. FGAR was successful in receiving two grants from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, and raised additional funds through community fundraising.
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In 2005, FGAR, SUVCW, and ASUVCW members undertook a massive effort at the cemetery. Illegible and sunken tombstones were replaced with new ones, the English laurel hedge was replaced with California laurel, and a new flag pole was installed that had come from the flag pavilion at the Seattle Center. Perhaps the most substantial undertaking of this project was the installation of a new driveway and entrance to the cemetery. Cobblestones saved from the Pioneer Square neighborhood were installed to the entrance walkway, volunteers created an improved entrance, and a kiosk, designed by FGAR member David James, was installed to allow for interpretive signage.
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Local Freemasons donated a stone for a commemorative engraving, and the neighbors chose a quote from Civil War Veteran and Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. to be engraved on the stone.
“In our youth our hearts were touched with fire…we have shared the incommunicable experience of war. We have felt, we still feel, the passion of life to the top.”
- Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
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Upon completion of the improvements to GAR Cemetery Park, FGAR and SUVCW held a rededication ceremony on Veterans Day in 2005. This ceremony served to both recognize the hard work of the volunteers and the memory of the people buried in the cemetery. FGAR was recognized by the city for their efforts in a proclamation from Seattle's Mayor, a fitting tribute to their dedication to saving this forgotten piece of Seattle history.
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Plans for improvements are presented at a public workshop, 2002.
Photo courtesy of Tom Easthope.
Two of the plans by Karen Kiest and Brooks Kolb.
Image courtesy of Karen Kiest.
Tombstones being replaced, 2005.
Photo courtesy of Tom Easthope.
Volunteers dig out the driveway and begin cobblestone entrance installation, 2005.
Photo courtesy of Tom Easthope.
FGAR members with a mock up of the soon to be installed stone at the cemetery's entrance.
Photo courtesy of Tom Easthope.
2005 Proclamation from the Greg Nickels, Mayor of Seattle and photo of reenactors from the Rededication Event.
Photos courtesy of Tom Easthope.
FGAR Today
Today, the care of the GAR Cemetery Park is divided between the FGAR and the City of Seattle, though much of this is coordinated by the FGAR. Neighbors continue to take the time to weed, restore turf, and perform other maintenance. This too has been a source of community building for the community, as work parties of neighbors have spent a great deal of time working out in the cemetery and park. GAR Cemetery Park is deeply important to the residents of this neighborhood, as they see their hard work as an investment into future generations and preserving the memory of the people buried here. When asked about what these neighborhood efforts meant to him, resident Dirk Ehlert reflected: “It’s important for this place to survive, and that it doesn’t become an afterthought.”
Neighbors also participate in the tradition of raising and lowering the flag every day, which they have done for over 2 decades. Started by founding FGAR member Tim Kerr, this has been a cherished neighborhood tradition that many have taken part in. Tom Easthope, another of the FGAR’s founding members, continues to coordinate the flag raising and lowering rotation, and is also one of the most frequent flag raisers. Fellow neighbor Randy Urmston, who’s military service gives him a personal connection to this ritual, also ranks among the most frequent flag raisers. In 2023 alone, both have raised or lowered the flag over 100 times each. This is a community effort among many of the park’s neighbors, and FGAR is always looking for new faces interested in volunteering their time to participate in this cherished tradition.
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Thanks to the hard work of the FGAR and SUVCW, GAR Cemetery Park survives today and remains a beautiful slice of calm amidst the hustle and bustle of Seattle. This cherished historic place would not have survived if not for the passion of local citizens who took matters into their own hands. The work done here is a testament to the power of community organizing in historic preservation, and a reminder that we all share the responsibility to protect our local history.
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Check out this PBS Segment about FGAR:
In memoriam of Cynthia Wells, Tim Kerr, and all past volunteers.