Welcome to
Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery Park
Foundation of Seattle
Before this land was known as the city of Seattle, it was, and still is, the traditional home of the Duwamish and Suquamish people. White settlement of the area began in the 1850s. The signing of the Treaty of Point Elliot in 1855 facilitated an exchange between the United States and the people of the Duwamish, Lummi, Muckleshoot, Suquamish, Snohomish, Skagit, Snoqualmie tribes. This treaty promised hunting and fishing rights, as well as designated reservation land, in exchange for 54,000 acres of land that now makes up Seattle and surrounding areas. Yet, many of these promises made by the United States in this treaty have still not been upheld, and the Duwamish people are still fighting for federal recognition.
The once tiny settler village of Seattle grew rapidly in the decades following the 1850s, with the Klondike Gold Rush, the development of lumber, fishing, and other industries, as well as new railroad connections making it a desirable place to settle. This explosion of industry and opportunity in Seattle drew settlers from a wide variety of backgrounds, including Asian, African, and European immigrants, formerly enslaved people, Confederate and Union Soldiers, and much more, all looking to start a new life out west.
When Indigenous people visited Seattle after being banned from living within city limits in 1865, they camped on the beaches surrounding the city.
Photo property of the Museum of History and Industry.
Beginnings of GAR Cemetery Park
After the Civil War, the United States had thousands of veterans, widows, and orphans who needed support. This was a nationally traumatizing event, and very few were left unharmed, physically or mentally, by this explosion of violence on American soil. This newfound national need inspired the foundation of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a fraternal organization for men who served in the Union Army. The organization had three key focuses: fraternity, charity, and loyalty. With posts all over the nation, the GAR worked to facilitate brotherhood among veterans, provide services for veterans and their families, and encourage patriotism and loyalty to the United States.
In the bustling new city of Seattle, Union Veterans joined local posts of the GAR, while many of their wives and daughters joined the Women's Relief Corps, the highly influential female auxiliary to the GAR. The GAR was a powerful force in both Seattle and the larger United States after the Civil War, as Union soldiers were leaders in rebuilding a fractured, yet growing United States of America. In Seattle, as in many American cities, most of the men running for political office, planning city projects, and shaping social movements were GAR men. Though their political views did vary, GAR men tended to lean into Lincoln-style Republicanism and Populism, with particular focuses on loyalty to the United States and looking out for the interests of both veterans and the common American.
The organization's values came into focus when some of Seattle's GAR men began to die in the late 1870s. Those who could not afford an expensive cemetery plot were buried in pauper's fields, a prospect that disturbed the men of the GAR. They realized the importance of making sure their fellow soldiers were buried with respect and distinction, regardless of their economic or social standing. To prevent this from happening again, Seattle's five GAR posts worked together to gain four plots at Lakeview Cemetery, then known as Seattle Masonic Cemetery.
In an article from the August 2nd, 1883 issue of The Seattle Post Intelligencer, the GAR's efforts are described as:
"...it is the intention of the Grand Army to make this a popular affair, and every loyal citizen will be asked to do a little. By this means this laudable and noble undertaking can be carried forward to success without being a burden to anyone. Let the good work go bravely forward. Our [citizens] will never allow it to wane for want of funds. Seattle is composed of citizens who will be proud to help in this worthy cause."
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Seattle's GAR members outside of Meany Hall at the Alaska-Yukon Exposition, 1909.
Photo property of University of Washington Special Collections.
Unfortunately, this solution turned out to only be temporary, as the Lakeview plots began to fill up around 1895. So once again, the GAR had to find a suitable resting place for their members. In 1895, David Kaufman, one of Seattle's earliest Jewish residents, donated a part of his land to the GAR to establish a burial plot. This is the land GAR Cemetery Park sits on today. Based on the limited information available, it appears the GAR began to relocate burials to their new plot sometime in 1895-1896.
However, the people living around Kaufman's land were unhappy with the expansion of burial ground into their neighborhood. They were concerned about water contamination from embalming fluid, as this burial plot was near neighborhood wells. Both these concerns and the GAR's passionate advocacy came to a boiling point at a tense city delegation meeting in January of 1896, where community members spoke both in favor and against the cemetery's existence. In this meeting, city delegation members accused each other of taking bribes from Kaufman to vote in favor of the cemetery, and demanded an explanation from Kaufman. The Seattle Post Intelligencer reported that when asked if he bribed city delegates, Kaufman answered with an emphatic "No sir." It was ruled at this meeting that the cemetery belonged to Kaufman, and it could continue serving as a burial ground. It appears that in 1896, Kaufman began to sell plots of the cemetery to both the GAR and private individuals, but retained ownership of the cemetery. It is important to note that this issue of ownership is very unclear, and changed quite a bit over the years.
Huldah and David Kaufman in Seattle, 1870s.
Photo property of University of Washington Special Collections.
The GAR's plans for this cemetery were grand at first, including expansive plots that would have stretched north of the cemetery's current location, where Newton and Crockett Streets are today. A grand gate was planned for the entrance, and a statue of Abraham Lincoln was planned as a crowning centerpiece for cemetery. Though plans were made for the cemetery's lay out and designs were drawn up for the Lincoln statue, none of them ended up being implemented.
Memorial Day at GAR Cemetery
Despite the GAR's original aesthetic vision for the cemetery not quite coming to fruition, this cemetery became a treasured gathering place for Seattle's Civil War Veterans to memorialize their fellow soldiers. Memorial Day was celebrated here every year, with GAR members, WRC members, and local school children taking part in decorating graves at the cemetery. Memorial Day was undoubtedly the most important holiday to GAR men, as it was thanks to their organization that the day was, and still is, observed at all. The tradition of decorating graves is an ancient one, but after the Civil War, the GAR and other similar organizations held designated decoration days to honor the fallen dead. On May 5th, 1868, the national Commander in Chief of the GAR issued a general order stating:
“The 30th day of May, 1868 is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form or ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.”
- John A. Logan, Commander in Chief, 1868.
Memorial Day Postcards c. 1890s - 1910s.
Though it didn't become a federally recognized holiday until 1968, Memorial Day was commemorated by Seattle’s GAR men with pomp and circumstance. A grand parade took place in Seattle even after the last Civil War in the city died, and remained a beloved tradition for many years. These parades featured veterans marching, men on horseback, children in patriotic attire, and much more. Typically, these parades were followed by a ceremony at GAR Cemetery Park, where veterans read the Gettysburg Address, gave speeches, and joined in remembrance of their comrades. Participants decorated graves with flags and flowers, a tradition that often served as a means of multigenerational connection. Children decorated these graves with their parents and grandparents, and early girl and boy scout troops also participated. As the GAR men aged, this also became a tradition shared between veterans of different wars, namely the Spanish-American War, and World War I.
Memorial Day spread from The Seattle Post-Intelligencer on May 31, 1922.
Veterans of WWI alongside Union Veterans in GAR Cemetery Park, 1925 & 1923.
The Seattle Post Intelligencer.
Today, though we are nearly a century removed from these veterans, the tradition of Memorial Day at GAR Cemetery Park continues. To this day, the Sons of Union Veterans hosts a Memorial Day ceremony here, and local scouts still decorate graves. Scoutmaster Ethan Morgan reflected on how important this tradition has been for his scouts: “It anchors the scouts as to why we have this day…this is what scouting is about, being a good citizen.” Even during the COVID-19 Pandemic, this tradition continued, with scouts and their families socially distancing while placing flags. This kind of community gathering is precisely what makes GAR Cemetery park so special, that despite modern Seattleites having little connection to the Civil War, this little cemetery of Union Veterans has remained a place for multiple generations to come together and participate in time honored traditions.
Scouts participating in a Memorial Day Flag Ceremony, 2024.
Photo courtesy of Paula McMannon.
Ownership & Neglect: A Complicated History
The cemetery has had a difficult history when it comes to maintenance and ownership. Ever since David Kaufman donated his land to create GAR Cemetery, who exactly owns the cemetery has been a sticky question. It appeared Kaufman retained ownership of the land for some time, and was even reported to be living on the property at one point. Maintenance fell on GAR and WRC members. In 1922, the GAR hired Lakeview Cemetery to take over maintenance as many of the soldiers were aging, an expensive solution for the shrinking organization. The GAR made a case to Seattle's City Council, who agreed to take over the area surrounding the burials as a park and maintain the cemetery. This was when the original hedge was planted, and the tombstones were flattened. During World War II, the site was used for a power plant, a searchlight, and crew quarters. The last Civil War Veteran to be buried here, Daniel Reams, died in 1943. The cemetery's final burial was in 1963, John R. Coffin, son of Union Veteran Frank S. Coffin.
Around the 1950s, GAR Cemetery Park began to become severely neglected. Without a consistent group maintaining it, nature began to reclaim the cemetery, and it became a dumping ground for trash. It was also a playground for local kids, who would play games on the tombstones, likely causing some of the wear seen on some of the tombstones. Neighbors recall local teens throwing beer bottles at the monument, which seems to be the source of the large chips on the monument. An article from The Seattle Times in 1966 described the cemetery as follows:
"The cemetery is littered with beer bottles and cartons. Pieces of white plastic foam were scattered about. We found a garbage-can lid and a broken weathered trellis near the marble in the center of the cemetery."
- Don Wright
"Times Troubleshooter," The Seattle Times, October 16, 1966.
This issue of neglect has plagued the cemetery on and off throughout the years, and GAR Cemetery Park been in danger of disappearing multiple times. Not too long ago, the cemetery was once again at risk, and a new group, The Friends of Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery Park, stepped in to save this incredible historic site. To learn about the community efforts to rescue this site, please continue to the community page linked below.