Program

Hometown Heritage®

Subject

Cemetery, Event

Location

2395 Flowery Trail Rd, Chewelah, WA 99109, USA

Lat/Long

48.28019116691, -117.69390862894

Grant Recipient

Washington State Society DAC

Chewelah Pioneer Cemetery, located in Chewelah, Washington, has served as a burial ground since at least 1888. As of 2024, the site remains active with over 1,500 interred individuals. The cemetery land was held in private ownership until 1925, when Mary Starry sold the plot to the City of Chewelah for $1. Originally known by residents as the “Chewelah City Cemetery,” the City Council passed a resolution in 1998 to officially rename it the Chewelah Pioneer Cemetery.

The cemetery is the final resting place for many of the area’s early settlers, including Roxania Millay, Rhoda Lucas, and Charles H. Montgomery. The most prominent figure interred here is Thomas Brown (1827–1908), known by locals today as the “Father of Chewelah.”

A Canadian-born son of Scottish immigrants, Brown was traveling toward the California gold fields with his wife and four children in 1854 when they chose to settle in the Chewelah area instead. Brown became a foundational figure in the region’s governance. He was appointed sheriff during the formation of Stevens County in 1860, served the local community as postmaster for three years, and his daughter, Mary, conducted the area’s first school sessions within the family home.

The cemetery also reports a total of 126 veterans interred on the grounds. The documented military service spans several major conflicts. There are at least 19 Civil War veterans interred here, as well as veterans from the Spanish-American War, WWI & II, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars.