Lake Stevens
Historical Society and Museum
Cemeteries
Machias Community Cemetery
What is now called the Machias Community Cemetery was previously named Mt. View Cemetery. It is located at 1204 Silva Street, on a hill above, and to the east, of the Centennial trailhead at Machias. The cemetery appeared to be the most widely used cemetery by residents of Lake Stevens and as well as the Hartford area during the early 1900's.
The Machias Community Cemetery was founded by Horas and Matilda Andrus, who were among the first three settlers to the Machias area in the 1880's. The Andrus family came from Snohomish and homesteaded the land which is now known what the cemetery is named today. Horas and his wife felt that there was a need for burial grounds within the vicinity so they set aside an acre of land. The earliest recorded tombstone was marked 1893 although it was not until 1902 that the cemetery was officially dedicated by The Andrus family.
Mr. Andrus passed away in 1903 and the care of the cemetery was left in the care of his son L.E. Andrus. Aside from keeping the Mt View Cemetery, L.E. Andrus founded Machias Community Cemetery just south of the Mt View Cemetery; which was dedicated April 4th, 1911. During the mid 40's Mrs. L.E. Andrus sold the cemeteries to Everett Stringer who remained owner until his passing in 1982. However, in 1981 a small group of residents from Lake Stevens and Machias took interest in the upkeep of the cemeteries. They began negotiating with Mr. Stringer to purchase the cemeteries and incorporate.
In the 1980s, Jim Young was part of a group that formed a nonprofit to buy and clean up the Machias Community Cemetery. George Angela, a leader of the cemetery group, said money was raised through garage sales and breakfasts held at Doc’s Pilchuck Tavern. They had work parties, and landscaped the once overgrown cemetery. The cemetery now has an annual Memorial Day ceremony, and Angela said more land has been acquired for future generations.
Two acres of land adjacent to the cemetery were donated by the Williams
Pipeline Company in October of 2003.
The Machias Community Cemetery is located at
135th Ave. SE at 12th St SE, Snohomish, WA 98290.
Additional Resources
Congregational Cemetery, Hartford, WA
A few people have asked questions about the now abandoned cemetery located on the property of Dorothy Jubb in Hartford. It is located 75 ft north of Hwy 92, 150 ft from the curve. It was "rediscovered" in the fall of 1982 by the Lake Stevens Historical Society Cemetery Committee consisting of Ad Shoudy, Verden Johnson, Pete Thaanum, Herb Niegermann, Bruce Kennaugh, Jason & Desiree Cahoon, Bruce Savory and Gayle & Anne Whitsell. This cemetery had no burials after the late 1800's. 1/4 acre of burials but none discernible except for "Mrs. McDonald and Baby. Diphtheria". Mary McDonald, who died in December of 1897, was the first wife of Charles MacDonald who operated both a hotel in Old Hartford and later a store at the Hartford Junction. They had four children; Jennie died in 1884 at the age of four and is buried in the cemetery. More records found in Jan, 1983 and in Dec 1983 indicated that 15 more graves were marked. Location of records is currently unknown.
The following excerpt is taken from the “History of Lake Stevens and Vicinity” by the Lake Stevens Community Development Program (1957). The Congregational Cemetery was located in “back of the school (Old Hartford School) or toward the east is a cemetery. Many of the early settlers were buried there. It was not taken care of and now of the 40 or more graves there are just signs of a few left. The tombstones are gone and the fences. In the early days there were many deaths from diphtheria and smallpox and many of those buried there had these diseases. Mrs McDonald who passed away in 1894 was buried there, a Bertha Buchanan who was a girl friend of Ethel Anderson was buried there. Isadore (Anderson) said when he was a small boy that the alder trees grown over the graves and some were a foot thru then. There were also graves of many babies.” (p. 43)
Also from the above publication, Mary Jacobson Bloomquist related the following information: “As to the number of graves in the Little Cemetery, I can’t say for certain. I think not more than a dozen. Some names I remember were Birdie Buchanan, about 7 or 8 years of age; Hulda Carlson, 5 or 6 years old; Dick Rife, a young man 19 or 20 years old; and an old bachelor whose name I don’t remember. Several small children and babies.”
We encourage you to contact us if you have any information about this cemetary.