12 10 / 2010
Adventuring in PDX: Lone Fir Cemetery
Sometimes, by virtue of having grown up here, I lapse into feeling as though I’ve seen it all: walked every street, enjoyed every charm, eaten every bite. This is, of course, not true by a mile. So this year, I’ve challenged myself to abandon that conceit, ignore for a moment those familiar pleasures and find a few new adventures.
The first is this: the Lone Fir Cemetery (SE 26th between Stark & Morrison). It’s a beautiful place, filled with bits of pioneer history and crumbling monuments to forgotten Portlanders.
Walking through the cemetery, the names feel familiar: Macleay, Dekum, Hawthorne, Overton. Stop and pay tribute at the headstone of Asa Lovejoy, one of the founders of Portland.
This is the headstone of James C. Hawthorne, founder of the Oregon Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Thanks to Dr. Hawthorne, what was once called Asylum Avenue is now SE Hawthorne Boulevard.
It took some research to learn the history behind these odd looking headstones. Some are so realistic and covered with moss that you’d never know they were made of stone. These stones were one of the benefits of early participation in a fraternal organization called Woodmen of the World.
These are the founders of the cemetery.
Looking at the lush grounds, it’s hard to imagine that in 1855, when the cemetery was platted, there was just one Douglas fir tree, the eponymous Lone Fir.
In summation, the cemetery is a gem and you should check it out. Lone Fir is open every day, tours happen once per month, and there’s a great website. A special tour takes place at the cemetery on Halloween: Tour of Untimely Departures.
