Black Diamond Cemetery
Black Diamond Cemetery is a cemetery located in Black Diamond, Washington listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [2]
Black Diamond Cemetery | |
 Black Diamond Cemetery | |
  | |
| Location | Cemetery Hill Rd., Black Diamond, Washington |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°18′39″N 122°0′55″W |
| Area | 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) |
| Built | 1886 |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000406[1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 21, 2000 |
Established in 1884 by the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company as both a company and community cemetery, it was originally enclosed by a wooden picket fence with a double-gate hearse entrance and a stile for pedestrians. The fence has since been replaced by a chain-link fence.[2]
The cemetery contains more than 1200 graves, many of immigrants who came to the area as miners.[3] One grave contains the remains of eight miners, killed in the Lawson Mine explosion in November, 1910.[4] The earliest gravemarker following establishment of the townsite is a tall marble marker, near the west side of the central road and gate, dated March 25, 1886.[2]
Funds to manage the cemetery were initially obtained by deducting a "cemetery fee" from miners' paychecks. Since 1977, the City of Black Diamond has been responsible for the maintenance and operation of the cemetery.[2]
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- Katheryn Krafft (Dec 15, 1999). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Black Diamond Cemetery". National Park Service. Retrieved February 17, 2019. With eight accompanying pictures
- "Cemeteries: Historical lessons in the South Sound". South Sound Magazine. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- Jensen, Ken. "Black Diamond Historical Society: Remembering the 1910 Lawson Mine disaster". Covington-Maple Valley-Black Diamond Reporter.