Fort Stevens Cemetery

Fort  Stevens Post Cemetery was established in May of 1868. On 22 June 1866   the Acting Assistant Quartermaster for Fort Stevens recommended to the Quartermaster General   that a cemetery be prepared in case someone should die. The nearest burying grounds, he said, were at Astoria, eight miles from the post and at Clatsop Plains, a distance of seven miles.   The first military death at Fort Stevens was in 1868.  However, there are buried here 50 known  remains that were  moved from Fort Canby, so you will find headstones that indicate deaths earlier than 1868.

The earliest burial was that of Private August Stahlberger, Battery C, 2nd U. S. Artillery.  His death was first listed as falling in the river and drowning while "under the influence."  A reputation for heavy drinking was attributed to this post due to its being an isolated tour of duty.   The causes of death are myriad at Fort Stevens, but some, like Private Stahlberger,   add mystery to the local tales, since his official listing was "death caused by blows from a person or persons unknown."  Stones marked "unknown" are from drowning at sea.  The bodies were washed ashore near Fort Stevens.

The first Fort Stevens Post Cemetery, was located about a quarter of a mile to the south of the post, on the edge of a road leading out of the garrison.  It was in the region of the sand pit and the building area.  By today's landmarks, it was approximately between the east side officer's quarters and the east "barracks", now used as a school building.   Captain Fisk on August 1898 told the Adjutant General, Department of The Columbia, Vancouver Barracks., Washington:  "There is a small cemetery plot at Fort Stevens located on a sand ridge  from which it is desired to obtain sand for parapet fill for additional gun emplacements to be begun shortly...I think it should be moved anyway in case a new post is built and if not permitted to use the sand the cost of work...will be materially increased."  A short time later the Quartermaster, 2nd Lieutenant Edward O. Sarrat, 3rd Artillery, reported,"The present cemetery is small and very near the contemplated site of the new post.  A new location can be found on the post, but would need clearing of brush, logs and stumps."  He said there were twenty-one graves in the plot, and he estimated the cost of moving the graves and preparing and enclosing the new site would be $500.  Captain Sebree Smith the Commanding Officer forwarded the report.  It was about the end of the year before the graves were moved to the new and still existing site.  Curiously a "List of names of  persons removed from the old cemetery to the new one", dated 18 February 1905, totaled only twenty.

The cemetery was moved thirty years later to today's location.  It was built in 1905 on elevated ground near the southern limit of the post.  This site originally contained only the remains of the first cemetery burials, but was enclosed with an ironwork fence in 1913,and designated as the place of interment for all posts in the Artillery District of Columbia.  Fifty known graves at Fort Canby were moved to Fort Stevens Cemetery at this time.  An unusual fact to note, is that the graves lie in a north and south direction, instead of the customary east and west direction, an exception granted due to the slope of the land.  The customary east to west direction is so that the person who is is buried, "may see the sunrise".   This custom dates back some 4000 years.

The cemetery is not on State Park grounds.  In Warrenton, Oregon on highway 101, take turn to Hammond, Oregon.  You arrive at a 4 way stop in approximately 2.8 miles, go straight on approximately 1 block to 7th turn left in 3 blocks you arrive at a "T" with Russell Drive, turn left and it will go into the cemetery.

Walking among the grave stones today, a visitor will view new military headstones in place of older stones.   Those replaced are the stones that were no longer readable for names or dates, from age and weather.  The new stones are set in concrete to prevent leaning or sinking in the sandy soil of the site.

This is an index of the persons buried at Fort Stevens, researched by Robert and Ruth Crouch and the late Mr. Rolf Evans, Mortuary Officer for Fort Stevens.  The list is maintained with the cooperation of Pat George, Chief of Casualty Affairs Fort Lewis, Washington.

   When using the indexes you will note on some individuals a different spelling in red.  This is from the tombstone and probably the correct spelling.

        AB, C&D, E&F, G&H, I&J, K&L, M&N, O&P, Q&R, S&T, U&V, W&X, Y&Z  

We have also completed indexes for the cemeteries at Fort Lewis  (near Tacoma, Wa.) ,  Fort Lawton  (Seattle, Wa.) ,  Fort Worden (Port Townsend, Wa.) and Vancouver Barracks (Vancouver, Wa.).

 For those of you doing  genealogy research in this area, the site is in Clatsop County and you can access the Clatsop County US Genweb page here.

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