Fort Worden Cemetery
Fort Worden Cemetery is located in the Fort Worden State Park at Port Townsend, Washington on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Fort Worden, named after the U.S. Navy Admiral John Worden who commanded the USS Monitor in its historic battle with the Merrimac was constructed beginning in 1898 with 12 batteries and 40 guns. The arc of protection swept north to east toward Fort Casey. But President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905 was concerned about the vulnerability of Puget Sound, even with the huge guns (located at Fort Casey, Fort Flagler and Fort Worden). He sent War Secretary William H. Taft here to study the area and recommend changes. Within three years, the three forts were being de-emphasized as the Coastal Artillery Corps and was replaced by the Washington National Guard, which provided 12 companies in support. By 1917, Fort Worden sent 1,600 men to France to join General John Pershing in the fighting. After more reorganizing and manpower shifts, the North Pacific Coastal Artillery District was dissolved in 1920 and transferred to San Francisco. But the 14th Regiment of the Coastal Artillery Regiment was formed in 1924, with 20 officers and 400 enlisted men at the forts. The forts continued functioning in a limited fashion until the Japanese shelled Santa Barbara in 1943, and the Army sought more protection for the Strait and moved artillery batteries to Port Angeles and Christopher Point. After World War II, the Army continued use of the facilities, now with its ample barracks and majestic Victorian-styled officer's quarters, plus the antiquated thick concrete fortifications as training sites for engineers and amphibious units. And recently Fort Worden was transformed into a movie set for An Officer and A Gentleman.. Now, many of the bunkers are overgrown with trees and foliage. But visitors can see many of the fortifications and scan the horizons for enemy vessels - that never came. The Forts remained military installations in a limited capacity until 1959 when the state purchased them. The cemetery at Fort Worden is a memory of the military past and of the men who served at these locations. It is a Federal Cemetery and Mr. Rolf Evans located at Fort Lewis is the current Mortuary Officer in charge of the site.
This is an index of the persons buried at Fort Worden, researched by Robert and Ruth Crouch, in cooperation with Mr. Evans. A&B, 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 completed indexes for the cemeteries at Fort Lewis (Near Tacoma, Wa.), Fort Lawton (Seattle, Wa.) and Fort Stevens (Near Astoria, Or.) and Vancouver Barracks (Vancouver, Wa.). The following news article was contributed by Taryn Hopey. The Tacoma News Tribune, dated Friday 25 October 1918 Influenza Delays Draft Entrainment Olympia, Oct. 25--On the recommendation of the health authorities of Colfax, the state draft department has postponed the entrainment of 164 registrants from Whitman County for Fort Worden. The entrainment will take place November 8. for the Whitman men, while the other contingents go today. The call was for a total of 1,900 men. Because of the influenza epidemic in Spokane, the draft office issued orders to the Spokane city and county boards to discontinue the sending of questionaires until further notice.
Fort Worden is located in Jefferson County to go to the US Genweb for Jefferson County click here.
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