30 Civil War veterans.
August 21&22 2024

Please join us to bring the nation’s Civil War and heritage community together for a truly historic event in August 2024. 

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On August 21, 2024, an extraordinary public memorial service will take place. An unprecedented group of 28 Union Civil War veterans and 31 spouses will be honored together in Seattle, Washington. The following day, they will be interred in Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington. 

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Thousands of Civil War veterans made the Seattle area home in the decades after the conflict. The veterans fought for states across the Union. The legacy of those who fought the Civil War is woven into the fabric of Pacific Northwest history. Yet, several of them remained nearly forgotten in area funeral homes for more than 100 years. 

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They fought in battles like Gettysburg, made the March to the Sea and endured the horrors of Andersonville. Then they played a vital role in building the cities and towns of the Pacific Northwest in the decades after the war. This is an opportunity for our nation to join together to honor these men and women of the Civil War. They'll be interred with the recognition and honors that have been denied them for over a century.

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The interment of so many Civil War soldiers or veterans together is extraordinary. We may never see something like this happen again.

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Years of dedicated work by the Missing In America Project identified the cremated remains of these veterans and spouses. The mission of the Missing In America Project is to locate and identify the unclaimed cremated remains of American veterans and secure final resting places for these forgotten heroes. 

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Veterans of regiments from Indiana, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin and the Navy are among those in the group to be honored. 

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A public memorial ceremony takes place in Seattle, Washington at Dignity Memorial’s Evergreen-Washelli Funeral Home on August 21, 2024 at 1pm. We invite your participation either by in-person attendance or by sending flowers to join in the tribute. Flower arrangements and messages will stand in the Tribute Center alongside the urns for the day of the memorial service. This invitation is open to all regardless of location.

 

The Evergreen-Washelli Tribute Center will be open to the public from 9am to 3pm and will feature an exhibit on Seattle’s Civil War connections and some of the men and women being honored. Visitors are invited to browse the exhibit and spend time viewing the old soldiers’ and spouses’ urns with the floral tributes and messages. A talk by Dr. Brian Matthew Jordan will take place at noon in the Tribute Center. Dr. Jordan is the nation's foremost authority on Union veterans of the Civil War and will speak on the topic. 

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Inurnment of the cremated remains in Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington is the following day on August 22nd at 12:30pm. This event is open to the public. 

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This August 21st memorial event is hosted by Dignity Memorial’s Evergreen-Washelli Funeral Home in Seattle. For over 25 years, Evergreen-Washelli has worked closely with The Rose Corner Florist. They are proud to assist with providing floral arrangements for the memorial. A card with your message will be included with the flowers. The card will include the name of the organization that has provided the flowers with a custom message. You may also include a scannable QR code for guests to access your website.

Shown below are 5 options being provided, with the TOTAL PRICE (including sales tax) listed. Evergreen Washelli will order the flowers directly. A photo of the arrangement on display will be provided after the service. 

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Please e-mail Nikole.Mitchell@dignitymemorial.com and include the information listed below. Evergreen-Washelli accounting department will reach out to take payment with a credit card over the phone:

 

Flower Selection: A, B, C, D, E (scroll down for images of the floral arrangements)

 

Name of your Organization:

 

Preferred Website Address:

 

Contact name for Payment

 

Phone number for Payment:

 

Message: Sized approximately to 4.25 x 5.5. Please limit to no more than 150 words.

 

For additional information on the public memorial service, please contact Nikole Mitchell of Evergreen-Washelli cemetery at Nikole.Mitchell@dignitymemorial.com 

or visit Dignity Memorial's Evergreen Washelli Cemetery

 

For additional information on the Missing in America Project please contact 

MIAP Washington State Coordinator Thomas Keating at cobra89@comcast.net

MIAP Washington State Assistant Coordinator Lynn Lake at lynnl.wa.miap@gmail.com

or visit Missing In America Project 

 

For additional information on the Civil War veterans in the Seattle area, please contact historian Richard Heisler of Civil War Seattle at civilwarseattle@gmail.com 

or visit Civil War Seattle

 

Please share this information with everyone far and wide. Let’s spread the word about this remarkable event to the entire Civil War community