Olympia Cemetery

Front inscription

The Olympia Cemetery was established c. 1904 and served the families of mill workers from Capital City, Richland, Granby, and Olympia Mills. The land was set aside by W.B. Smith Whaley & Co. When a death occurred the company would provide a burial plot. In 1944, Pacific Mills, which had purchased the Whaley Mills in 1915, deeded ownership to the Olympia Cemetery Association. The Association drew its members from the eight Olympia community churches.

Reverse inscription

The oldest portion of the cemetery is the SW section, with more recent burials proceeding to the NE. Oral tradition holds that when a child in the community died, mill workers would build a wooden coffin, line it with material from the company store, and carry it to the gravesite. It is believed that, in addition to the many gravesites marked by headstones, there are also many unmarked burials in Olympia Cemetery.