Evergreen Cemetery in Everett
4504 Broadway
Everett, Snohomish County, Washington 98203-2447
(425) 252-2244
History
Evergreen Funeral Home and Cemetery was established in 1898. The 100-acre cemetery is the final resting place of numerous prominent citizens and Civil War veterans. The remarkable landscape is comprised of century-old plantings and state champion trees. Evergreen Funeral Home was added to the cemetery in the mid-1980s.
Evergreen Funeral Home and Cemetery was established in 1898. This 100-acre cemetery is the final resting place for many prominent citizens, Civil War veterans, and individuals from various backgrounds, from Lynnwood to Granite Falls. The earliest known burial in the cemetery was of Alvar E. Grobey in 1844. However, the precise location of his first burial remains unknown.
Early in its development, Everett had several small private and temporary cemeteries. In 1892, undertaker John Rogers used a location at Broadway and 3rd Avenue in Lowell to temporarily hold bodies until nearby Evergreen Cemetery opened. By 1893, Everett’s population had surged from 1,000 to 6,000 in just a few years, with half of the residents hailing from Britain and Scandinavia.
In May 1894, the City of Everett platted Greenwood Cemetery on the southeast corner of Evergreen Way and 52nd Street. The Everett Land Company, founded in 1890 and led by Henry Hewitt as president, included founding partners such as the Rucker brothers, Charles Colby, and Colgate Hoyt, with backing from John D. Rockefeller. After several years of delays, Evergreen Cemetery was proposed as a grand garden cemetery to meet the needs of the rapidly growing city of Everett. Ultimately, Evergreen Cemetery opened in 1898, and many bodies from other sites, including Greenwood Cemetery, were relocated there.
In 1899, some firm cemetery rules were introduced:
- No burials stacked on top of one another.
- No fences around graves.
- No removal of bodies by anyone other than the Sexton.
- No carriages or bicycles are allowed in the cemetery.
- No one is allowed to dig a grave other than the Sexton. $5.00 digging charge.
- No dogs allowed, and no children running at will.
The Lych Gate, a gazebo-like open shelter built in 1903, serves as the entrance to Evergreen Cemetery, which opened five years earlier. It is designed to mimic a traditional English churchyard structure where pallbearers can rest the coffin while waiting for the minister’s arrival. There were ambitious plans for an impressive sandstone entry arch next to the Lych Gate and a sandstone lodge nearby. Additionally, bronze statues were intended to be placed in the round basin of a central fountain, and a significant cemetery expansion was in progress. Unfortunately, many of these grand plans were never completed. However, a small comfort station with a restroom was constructed west of the north Lych Gate entry. In 2003, a falling tree severely damaged the century-old Lych Gate, but it has since been carefully restored.
Evergreen is well-known for the Rucker Mausoleum, a 30-foot-tall pyramid made of Washington granite. It rests on a stone-encased earthen plinth designed by F.W. Ladd of Seattle, with a construction cost of $30,000. The mausoleum features a large door made of Red Beach granite from Maine. The chapel space is topped by a spacious dome with four art glass windows. At one time, it even housed a gas chandelier. The mausoleum contains 22 crypts, each with fitted closures of polished Barre granite from Vermont. A prominent bronze figure of Jane Rucker once adorned the doorway.
Over 70,000 men, women, and children are buried in Evergreen Cemetery. Their stories and lives are essential to Everett’s rich heritage and history. Among those interred are victims of significant events, including the 1916 Everett Massacre and the 1910 Wellington Avalanche Disaster. Equally important are the numerous everyday citizens buried there—teachers, photographers, saloon owners, doctors, and bankers—who made meaningful contributions to the Everett community.
Of particular interest are the burials of individuals who link Everett to significant national events. Evergreen Cemetery is the final resting place for approximately 150 veterans of the American Civil War, four governors from Washington, Minnesota, and the Dakota Territories, two United States Senators, and the great-great-great-maternal grandmother (Rachel Wolfley 1835-1911) of President Barack Obama. According to a local historian, Evergreen Cemetery has been described as the “biographical encyclopedia” of Everett, Washington. It is the final resting place for many prominent citizens, including two U.S. senators, four governors, and over 150 Civil War veterans.
Notable Interments:
- Bob Chesnes 1921-1979 Major League Baseball Player
- Louis Kossuth Church (1846-1897) Dakota Territory Governor
- David Marston Clough (1846-1924) Minnesota Governor
- Roland Hill Hartley (1864-1952) Washington Governor
- Monrad C. Walgren (1891-1961) United States Senator (1940-1945) D-WA. Governor of Washington (1945-1949)
- Henry Martin “Scoop” Jackson (1912-1983) U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator
- Cicero Hunter (1841-1916) Co K, 32nd U.S.C.T. Infantry Volunteers, Civil War
The mausoleum at the south end was added in 1963, and the current office was built a year later. Evergreen Funeral Home was added to the cemetery in the mid-1980s. The cemetery was used for the beginning of the 1995 film Assassins, starring Antonio Banderas and Sylvester Stallone.
Evergreen Cemetery is home to five champion trees recognized in Washington State. Some of these, like the impressive Copper Beech, are quite striking, while others, such as the Buddhist Pine, European White Elm, and Lawson Cypress, blend harmoniously with the beautiful landscape. A champion tree is defined as the state’s largest tree of its species. The size of these trees is measured using the American Forests points system, which considers the trunk circumference, height, and average crown spread to calculate a total point value.
Additional information
Historic Everett-Evergreen Cemetery
Visit the Evergreen Cemetery in Everett Website
