Mount Olivet Cemetery
Memorial Street
Roslyn, Kittitas County, Washington
Also known as Black Miner's Cemetery, Old Black Cemetery.
The Roslyn Cemetery is actually 27 separate cemeteries bundled together in the wooded Roslyn hillside. Nearly 5000 graves represent 24 different nationalities that used to live in the town (many worked in the coal mines). For the most part, the cemeteries are separated into fraternal organizations that represent particular ethnic groups. Because of the diversity represented in the cemeteries, visitors will notice a lot of variation in how the graves are marked. Some are adorned with metal crosses, while others are marked with intricately carved (albeit weathered) stone work. The arrangement of the plots are also interesting in that most face East, but the Polish cemetery faces North. The reason for the North facing layout of the Polish cemetery is not entirely clear, though some feel it was so the headstones would face the Church where they worshiped.
Mount Olivet Cemetery is located on the lower road. After you have turned left onto Memorial Road coming up from Pennsylvania Ave, you stay on Memorial road and keep right. It is next to the Old City Cemetery. Lat: 47° 13' 13"N, Lon: 121° 00' 03"W T20N R15E Sec 17. See map.
Willie Craven is the current Sexton and the one who maintains Mount Olivet, with the help of his brother Wesley and others. It was Willie and Wesley's father who was the official Grave Digger and Watcher over the cemetery until his death.
This cemetery has had other names. It has been referred to as the Old Black Cemetery, or the Black Miner's Cemetery. It was rededicated Aug 05, 1995 as Mount Olivet Cemetery. There has been and still is a busy crew working here since 1995 trying to fix the cemetery up to a condition they can be proud of. I thought it looked very good.
Prince Hall Masons of the Washington Jurisdiction were responsible for the masonry work and the white crosses, plus other costs to make the renewal of the cemetery possible, and continue to assist with maintenance of the cemetery since 1995, along with Willie and Wesley Craven. It was an especially sad time for the Craven family the week I was there. Willie had just lost a son in the 30 Mile Forest Fire a few days before. I was unaware of it when there or I would have asked him about it. I will add the name as soon as I get it.
When I was reading the cemetery I was able to interview Willie and Wesley Craven, because they were there busy at work. Willie said the many white crosses show how the people in the early days were so poor they could not afford a marker of any kind. He is still working very hard to find all the names of who are buried here, assisted by his brother Wesley. I acquired the information I have presented from my own readings and either the city hall or the cemetery sexton, which might include old records.
Notes from transcriber Maggie Rail, October 2001:
Additional information: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Mount_Olivet_Cemetery-2
https://mtsgreenway.org/blog/roslyn-cemetery/
Visit the Mount Olivet Cemetery Website