Fort Lawton Post Cemetery
Discovery Park Boulevard
Fort Lawton, King County, Washington 98199
425-413-9614
Directions
To reach the cemetery, take West Government Way to the entrance of Discovery Park Boulevard. After entering the park, turn right onto Texas Way. After the bend in the road, parking is available on the right.
History
In 1896, the Secretary of War selected the site that would later become Fort Lawton to construct an artillery battery. This was not just a military installation, but a bastion of defense, designed to protect Seattle and southern Puget Sound from potential naval attacks. The local citizens and government entities’ generous donation of 703 acres of land to the United States Army for the installation the following year was a testament to their commitment to national security.
Fort Lawton was named after Major General Henry Ware Lawton (1843–1899), a veteran of the American Civil War, the Indian Wars, and the Spanish–American War campaigns, who was killed in action in the Philippines. Lawton, Oklahoma, home to U.S. Army Fort Sill, is also named in his honor.
On 5 October 1909, the United States Army’s 25th Infantry Regiment, famously known as the Buffalo Soldiers, was stationed at Fort Lawton. The regiment, primarily consisting of African American soldiers transferred from the Philippines, was a testament to their bravery and dedication.
During World War II, Fort Lawton hosted at least 20,000 troops, with more than 1 million soldiers passing through before and after the war. It served as the second-largest port of embarkation for U.S. forces and materiel heading to the Pacific Theater.
The post also functioned as a prisoner-of-war camp, housing over 1,000 German prisoners. Approximately 5,000 Italians passed through on their way to imprisonment in Hawaii. On 15 August 1944, an Italian POW named Guglielmo Olivotto was found murdered at Fort Lawton following a night of rioting between Italian POWs and American soldiers. The riot was sparked by [see attached articles and Find A Grave memorial], leading to the tragic death of Olivotto. Twenty-eight African American soldiers were later court-martialed, convicted of the crime, and sentenced to prison. These soldiers and their families challenged the convictions, which were ultimately set aside in 2007 after an investigation.
The Fort Lawton Post Cemetery, likely established around 1900, is a place of great historical significance. It is arranged in four quadrants and contains the graves of notable individuals, including two former post commanders—Brigadier General Frederick Atkinson (1949) and Colonel John Barber (1960s). The cemetery also holds the graves of an unknown soldier and two World War II-era prisoners of war: Guglielmo Olivotto and German soldier Albert Marquardt, who died from accidental poisoning in 1945. Their graves on the cemetery’s perimeter remind them of the sacrifices made during wartime.
Please read the two articles for additional information on what directly and indirectly caused these riots.
Additional information
Law Library-- The Fort Lawton Riots: History We Were Never Supposed to Know
Ft. Lawton monument immortalizes tragic, largely forgotten piece of Seattle history
Visit the Fort Lawton Post Cemetery Website