Mess Family Cemetery
Frager Road
Seattle, King County, Washington
The Mess Cemetery is located off Frager Road in
South King County, Washington. The property of Joe
Gunter surrounds the area. Although the area is now
largely industrial, the memory of some of the early
pioneers from this area lives on in this small
abandoned burial ground.
The cemetery was started in 1878 when a diptheria
epidemic claimed the lives of the two small daughters
of Julius and Anna Mess. Anna, three years and
Wilhemine A., two years, died in June and July of that
year. A lovely spot, on the Mess farm, southwest of the
family home, on a hill with a natural terrace, and a
lovely view of the valley was chosen for their burial.
In time, others from the area asked to bury their
loved ones in the same place. So, the Mess family had
the grounds set aside for this purpose and taxed as such.
It was managed by a board of directors. It is believed
as many as fifty graves are located in the cemetery,
although a plot map can not be found and many of the
markers have long ago disappeared.
There were many shingle type markers, with names
and dates, some of which could still be found in the
1940's. But time, nature, and cattle have obliererated
them. In the beginning, a white picket fence with a
gate surrounded the area. When that had to be renewed
there was a barbed wire fence and then more barbed wire
fences. Each time it was replaced, however, a smaller
portion was fenced, until only the section with large
stones was included. The last burial was that of Mrs.
Anna Mess in 1910.
The cemetery was bequeathed to the White River
Historical Society under the will of Mrs. Walter Mess,
who died June 23, 1966.
The following tombstone inscriptions were obtained
from the records of the Tukwila Historical Society and
those of Don Vincent and Arthur Friske, which are on file
at the Seattle Public Library. These records were
transcribed during the mid 1960's.
Source: http://files.usgwarchives.net/wa/king/cemeteries/mess.txt
Veterans Buried at Mess Family Cemetery
1