HISTORY
HISTORY OF WOODINVILLE
City Bio: Short history profile of the City of Woodinville.
Historical Tour of City: A well-done "historical tour" of the City of Woodinville by the Eastside Heritage Center. Includes some old photos.
The land for the cemetery was given to the pioneer town by Ira and Susin Woodin, who settled here in 1871.
In 1985, the Woodinville Cemetery Association was incorporated as a tax-exempt 501 (c)(3) corporation, which makes donations of cash or in-kind services and materials to the cemetery tax-deductible.
Woodin Family Plot
Pioneers Ira and Susan Woodin, namesake of Woodinville, donated the land for the cemetery. The large Woodin family plot is located roughly in the middle of the cemetery, as shown on this diagram.
What's In a Name?
Over the years, the cemetery has been called several different names. The formal deeds of land from the Woodins did not specify a name for the cemetery.
Old photographs of the cemetery show the words “Woodinville Recessional Memorial Mead” in an arch above the main gate. “Recessional” is an old term meaning a receding, a falling back, a going out, a leaving or withdrawal.
The window shade record kept by sexton / caretaker Elmer Carlberg shows the name “Woodinville Memorial Mead”.
For many years up until 2003, this sign was above the main entrance on N.E. 175th Street. It said “Woodinville Memorial Park”. Why it was referred to as a “park” is not known. The sign has been kept as a historical artifact at the north end of the cemetery.
When the cemetery frontage was replaced in 2003, the name on the main gate was changed to “Woodinville Memorial Mead”.
In recent times, most people call it simply the “Woodinville Cemetery”.
Early Appearance
Originally, the main gate to the cemetery was located about half way along the east property line, adjacent to 132nd Avenue N.E.
There used to be a Methodist Church on 132nd Avenue N.E., due east of the original main gate. The church burned long ago.
The original cemetery frontage was located on the east side of the cemetery, on 132nd Avenue N.E. That is why some of the earliest graves are located there.
Early Burials
The first recorded burials, among them the graves in the photo at right, took place in 1888.
Data about recorded burials is available in our graves page, where you can find the location of a particular grave.
Records
Folks didn't get too concerned about keeping detailed records in the old days. Record-keeping was often cursory at best. As anyone who has done any genealogy work knows, it can be difficult to find records of long-ago births, deaths, marriages, and burials -- especially before about 1910. Even if a record was kept, the long-hand writing is often hard to read.
It wasn't until the early 1900's that the state began to require the keeping of vital records.
An interesting document in the cemetery records is a large window shade on which are drawn the record of burials; this record was in use until recent times.
Experience has shown, however, that the window shade record is not necessarily accurate.
When cemetery records were lost in a fire a long time ago, Elmer Carlberg, long-time sexton (caretaker) of the cemetery, re-created the record from memory -- on the back of the window shade!
1950's Appearance
We believe this old photograph of the cemetery was taken about 1950. The words in the arch above the lyre-shaped gates are “Woodinville Recessional Memorial Mead”.
Note the heavily forested hill behind the cemetery, and the pergola in the distance, through the arched entrance gates. It is said that former sexton Elmer Carlberg built the pergola in the 1950's.
By the time this photo was taken, the main entrance had been moved from the east side of the cemetery, on 132nd Avenue N.E., to this south property line location on N.E. 175th Street.
Recent Times
Click here or on picture with thick border to see a big enlargement of it.
Until 2003, this is what the front of the cemetery, on N.E. 175th Street, looked like.
Note that the sign says “Woodinville Memorial Mead Park”. Why that name was used is not known. When the cemetery frontage was replaced in 2003, the name was changed to “Woodinville Memorial Mead”.
2003 : RIGHT TURN LANE PROJECT
Construction work on the project began in November 2002.
The Woodinville Weekly and Northlake News newspapers reported on the project.
Woodinville residents gladly put up with months of construction work along this busy thoroughfare to solve the right turn traffic congestion.
The front of the cemetery, along N.E. 175 Street, has long concrete walls with black metal fencing on top, and shrubbery in front.
A part of the Board of Directors' long range plan is to plant a row of trees along the west property line. To ensure the survival of those trees and other vegetation during the summer months, an automatic sprinkler system would be required.
There were several reasons for this project:
Under the supervision of Rick Powell, Scout Ethan Campbell obtained donations of electrical supplies for this project.
2005 : IRRIGATION PROJECT
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