Washington State’s Oldest Cemetery Location Is Quite Surprising

Washington State's Oldest Cemetery Resides in an Unexpected Location

One of the best lessons I ever learned from my foster mom Pearl was to respect a gravesite.

Unveiling the Historical Charm: Discover Washington State's Oldest Cemetery!

I think I was eight or so when I carelessly walked over the top of a grave and my mom taught me to walk along the sides of the grave and don't stand where the head of the person might be resting.

I know it's a little old-fashioned but it was a great lesson that I still adhere to today.

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I thought I'd do a little digging out of curiosity and discover where the oldest cemetery in Washington is located and I was actually a little surprised.

My first inclination of Washington's first cemetery would've been Walla Walla and the Whitman Mission or along the Oregon Trail but surprisingly the oldest cemetery is along the coast of Washington.

Thanks to Readers Digest, the oldest cemetery in Washington State is located in Vancouver Washington.

Park Hill Cemetery is still open and operating today but the first bodies were buried there starting in 1825.

According to the article, even some of the bodies that had been moved to the cemetery were from the earlier 1800s so some of the deceased are even older than the cemetery.

Park Hill was established nearly a decade after Oregon was settled.

As you can see, the Park Hill Cemetery is functioning today and serves a historic purpose in Washington State.