Gig Harbor Cemetery
10317 Gig Harbor Dr. NW
Gig Harbor, Pierce County, Washington
Also known as Crescent Valley Cemetery, Old Gig Harbor Cemetery
Established August 28th, 1891. Driving directions: Exit Hwy 16 at Gig Harbor City Center (Pioneer / Wollochet). Go down the hill into town. At the bottom of the hill, turn left on Harborview Dr. and continue around the head of the harbor. Turn right onto Vernhardson (96th St NW) at the T intersection, then right onto Crescent Valley Dr NW. Turn left onto Dana Dr. NW (which merges with 24th Ave NW). This road curves and becomes 94th St NW. Turn left on 22nd Av NW then left on Gig Harbor Dr NW. This road dead-ends in the 13000 block at the Old Gig Harbor Cemetery.
Historical Significance:
Original Pioneer Cemetery of Gig Harbor, Washington, a small fishing village founded in 1867 by fishermen from Croatia and Scandinavia. For centuries a band of the Puyallup Tribe, the Twa-Wal-Kut, had a longhouse and permanent camp at the head of the harbor. Explorers from the Wilkes Expedition discovered the harbor's well-hidden opening in 1841 and named it Gig Harbor because they had entered the bay in a small captain's gig. The town boasted a fleet of 70 fishing vessels by the early 1970s, but a ruling by Federal Judge George Boldt affirmed the rights of tribes to half the annual catch and by 1988 the fleet had dwindled to 30. Tourism gradually replaced fishing, but the town's heritage is zealously recorded and preserved.
Burial Significance:
Buried there are Dr. Alfred Burnham,1824-1896, who arrived in Gig Harbor in 1886 and purchased land from one of the three fishermen who found the village. Burnham was a physician, owner of the general store, and publisher of the local newspaper; Lucy Goodman, 1869-1964, who had a 76-year teaching career, generally considered the longest in U.S. history; and veterans of the Spanish/American War, Civil War, WWI, Korea, and Vietnam.
Ten Civil War veterans are buried in the cemetery. Three of the veterans had lain in unmarked graves for over 100 years. Due to the efforts of DAR member Kathy Veasey and the support of Elizabeth Forey Chapter, NSDAR, those three veterans now have special Civil War markers on their graves.
The marker for Hannibal Bickford was dedicated on October 7, 2017. He served with the MN 4th Infantry Regiment. The marker for Ole Christopherson was dedicated on October 6, 2018. Christopherson served with the MN 2nd Cavalry Regiment. The marker for Jeremiah Griffin was dedicated on October 5, 2019. He served with the 146th New York Volunteers and the 5th NY Infantry.
Acknowledgment:
DAR member Kathy Veasey has been an unpaid volunteer at the Gig Harbor Cemetery for many years, dedicating hundreds of hours to research, rehabilitation, and recording burials in the cemetery on Find A Grave. She is currently a member of the Gig Harbor Cemetery Board.
Source: https://www.dar.org/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/gig-harbor-cemetery
Visit the Gig Harbor Cemetery Website
