Woodlawn Cemetery, Whatcom, Washington, United States of America

Notes:
This cemetery was administered by Blaine Masonic Lodge No. 79. Intermittently, bodies were removed and interred elsewhere, and the land was abandoned for cemetery purposes. The last removals were on 16 and 17 September 1960, with reinterment in Greenacres Memorial Park.

BUCHANAN CEMETERY – Volume XI

Buchanan Cemetery is located about 1/2 mile north and 1/4 mile east of the fire hall at Agate Bay (Sec 24, R3E T38N). There is no public access to what remains of this cemetery. The late W. W. ALTMAN contibuted to this history and burials. The cemetery was set aside in 1890 (originally 40 acres) by Joseph F. BUCHANAN, a homesteader, upon the death of his son, Henry. It was a private cemetery first used by the family, but soon opened to any settler, and entirely unregulated by state or county. The Whatcom County Bureau of Vital Statistics has no record of this cemetery or of any of the people buried here. Through the years about 25 (some say as many as 50) people were buried here, including five Buchanans. By 1917 no further burials were permitted, but as it had always been Joseph Buchanan’s wish to be buried with the other members of his family, his desire was honored by the interment of his ashes at the grave of his wife, Sophia Jane.

By 1974, the cemetery was reduced in size to about 100 feet by 100 feet. A few grave depressions could still be found then but none of the wooden markers were left. This cemetery was sometimes referred to as "Woodlawn Cemetery" because the Agate Bay region was originally called Woodlawn.

or

Woodlawn Cemetery is located at Northwest Drive and Paradise Road, approximately 5.5 miles northwest of Bellingham, WA and 1-1/2 miles east of Ferndale, WA.

According to the EARLY HISTORY OF FERNDALE AND TEN MILE TOWNSHIPS published in 1948 and written by Chris C. SIEGEL, p43: "About 1886, John D. ROGERS, John HAGLER, Chas. W. MATTHEWS, Jacob JENNI Sr., William BAER and others organized the Woodlawn Cemetery Association. Mr. Jenni donated 5 acres of land and he was the first to be buried in it ... It was taken over by Ferndale Township many years ago, which insures its perpetuation...’

This cemetery is now included in Whatcom County Cemetery District No. 6 and consists of 7.46 acres.

These records have been extensively supplemented by information from other sources, as the original records generally give only name and date of death. Early mortuary records in the Moles Funeral Home of Ferndale list the following burials in "Paradise Cemetery".