Bay View Cemetery in Bellingham
1420 Woburn Street
Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington 98226
360-676-6972 or 360-778-7150
Also known as Whatcom City Cemetery
Directions
The Bayview Cemetery is behind the funeral home at the intersection of Lakeway Drive and Yew Street in Bellingham. From I-5, take the Lakeway Drive exit, #253, travel east approximately 1 mile to the intersection at Yew Street, turn left onto Woburn Street, travel 2/10 of a mile to the cemetery’s main entrance. The cemetery can also be reached via two entrances on Lakeway Drive, a short distance east of the Woburn/Yew Street intersection.
History
The “History of Whatcom County” by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, is the source of much of the following history. Some of this information has been updated since the books were written 100 years ago. What is now the City of Bellingham was originally four towns: Whatcom, Sehome (later called New Whatcom), “Old” Bellingham, and Fairhaven.
On 6 May 1862, approximately four acres of land were purchased from Dan Harris for $150 to be used as a graveyard for Whatcom County. This area, located about 4.5 miles southwest of the present Bayview Cemetery, became known as Deadman’s Point due to the discovery of 64 skeletons, brass buttons, and Spanish arms unearthed there.
In September 1887, the Town of Whatcom purchased a ten-acre plot for a cemetery located “on the road to Lake Whatcom.” Interments began in 1888. In 1889, Whatcom and Sehome acquired an additional 12 acres. That same year, 64 bodies were exhumed from Deadman’s Point, and most were reinterred in the new cemetery. Few relatives claimed the remains. The body of Michael Padden, who passed away in 1880 and after whom Lake Padden is named, along with some of his children(Edward, Helen, and Patrick), were exhumed and buried in Lake View Cemetery in Seattle. Additionally, one of the exhumed bodies belonged to an officer of the Hudson’s Bay Company, said to have been buried in 1844. Around that time, some bodies buried near F Street were also moved to this new cemetery, which became Bayview Cemetery before 1900.
In 1924, Bayview Cemetery expanded by purchasing more land, bringing its total area to 234 acres, a significant development. However, only 50 acres are currently in use. In 1929, the Bellingham Community Mausoleum Association transferred the mausoleum property and building ownership to the city. The City of Bellingham managed Bayview Cemetery until 1934, when the Bellingham Bayview Cemetery Association was formed. This association, a testament to the community’s involvement, took over the cemetery’s administration. It continued to oversee the cemetery until 2010, when the ownership was returned to the City of Bellingham. Today, Bayview Cemetery is a nonprofit facility owned by the city, dedicated to preserving the natural beauty and serene atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest for both present and future generations.
Bayview Cemetery is a solemn tribute to the victims of Bellingham’s historical tragedies. According to Roth, all 23 individuals who lost their lives in the Blue Canyon Mine explosion on 8 April 1895 were interred at Bayview Cemetery. Over the years, a monument has been erected to honor these 23 victims, who are buried at Bayview, except for James Kirkby, who is laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery in Ferndale. Additionally, the victims of the 1999 Olympic Pipeline Explosion, Wade King, Stephen Tsiorvas, and Liam Wood, are also memorialized here.
Bayview Cemetery stands out with its diverse ecosystem, housing over 60 distinct tree species, including an almost century-old paper birch tree, once considered the country’s oldest specimen. The cemetery’s landscape, adorned with oaks, maples, and colorful shrubbery, serves as a living history book, reflecting the early days of Whatcom County on monuments bearing the names of our area’s founding families – names like Eldridge, Roeder, and Bloedel.
Bayview Cemetery is the final resting place of several notable individuals, including:
- Albert E. Mead, a former governor of Washington
- Ella Higginson, a former poet laureate of Washington
- Isaac Smith Kalloch, a former mayor of San Francisco, California, whose remains were relocated from his estate at Sehome.
The Bellingham Bayview Cemetery has incorporated several graves from local cemeteries. One significant relocation occurred in 1996 when the Bellingham Catholic Cemetery (Mount Calvary) transferred graves to Bayview. After the relocation, a memorial was created listing the names of the deceased whose graves were moved.
Entire sections of Bayview Cemetery have fascinating histories. Flag-bearing Veterans’ Plaza commemorates over 200 Civil War veterans, among other veterans of successive wars.
Bellingham Bayview Cemetery in Bellingham is the most popular cemetery in the city, ranking first among the two cemeteries there. It is also ranked eighth out of 22 cemeteries in Whatcom County, 36th out of 216 in Washington State, and 2,588th in the United States.
The cemetery office is near the flower garden plots, including the Fountain Cremation Garden, Mother’s Memorial Cremation Garden, and Babyland Children’s Garden. The office operates by appointment only, ensuring the utmost care and respect are shown to the living and the deceased. When visiting, please show respect for both the living and the deceased as you walk among the memorials honoring Bellingham’s forebears. The Bay View Abbey Mausoleum is accessible only to the families of those interred there. If you wish to enter, please visit the office, and a staff member will escort you.
In 1973, a group of dedicated members, including Florence Chandler, Illene Fleming, Ruth Gibbs, Norma Marsh, Leah Mercer, Zelda Stout, Janet Stull, Daisy Wikberg, Neill Mullen, and Earle Christenson, meticulously documented the cemetery records. In the early 1980s, headstones were recorded by members Faye Myers, Donna Sand, Evelyn Green, Clyde Senger, and many others. Members Zelda Stout, Earle Christenson, and Dolores Ackerman verified city burial records, preserving Bayview Cemetery’s rich history.
As a custodian of local history, Bayview Cemetery continues to play a vital role in the lives of Bellingham residents, serving as a place of remembrance and honor for their loved ones.
Additional information
Walking Tours of Bayview Cemetery
Finding Bellingham History in Bayview Cemetery's Monuments
Visit the Bay View Cemetery in Bellingham Website
