{"id":3330,"date":"2012-07-25T13:35:31","date_gmt":"2012-07-25T20:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/?p=3330"},"modified":"2020-07-19T13:54:52","modified_gmt":"2020-07-19T20:54:52","slug":"bremerton-ivy-green-cemetery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/bremerton-ivy-green-cemetery\/","title":{"rendered":"An Undiscovered Country – 15 Acres of Ivy Green Cemetery and 150 Years of History"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Memorials<\/p>\n

Bremerton, Washington<\/h2>\n

by Mike Howard<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve traveled extensively over the last few decades, but have treated my own back yard a bit cavalierly \u2013 commuting to work in the early hours and not getting home until dark. Now that I\u2019ve retired, I am constantly astounded by local treasures hidden in plain sight.<\/p>\n

Ten years back, while researching material for a centennial history of Bremerton Masons, I was particularly struck by a funeral oration delivered on December 26, 1909 by Lodge luminary, William Seymore. \u201cWe have met here this afternoon to pay the last tribute of respect for Brother Gudmund Gudmundsen, and render the last service that the living can offer the dead,\u201d said Seymore. \u201cAs there are no relatives in the community, it is peculiarly fitting that the Fraternity of which he was a respected member, should perform that service, and to me has fallen the duty of expressing\u2014as well as I am able\u2014the sentiments of the Lodge regarding our Brother, who has passed away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"angelSeymore went on to report Brother Gudmundsen\u2019s birth in Stevanger, Norway on December 11, 1851; that he came to San Francisco in an English ship at the age of seventeen, and followed the sea \u2013 as mate of sailing vessels plying between San Francisco and Honolulu. He came to Bremerton in the year 1901 \u2013 a skilled workman in the Shipyard \u2013 petitioning for and taking the degrees of Freemasonry in the Bremerton Lodge. \u201cWe know that he enjoyed the privileges of Lodge membership and that Masonry had meaning for him. Honest his life, faithful his work, peaceful his death,\u201d eulogized Seymore. \u201cAnd now, my friends, as he lies here so still and silent, these cold lips are teaching us a lesson, if we could but realize it; and that is: to put our house in order, for no man knows when the reaper cometh. With our house in order, we can meet death, not as a grim tyrant, but as a kind friend who has come to give us rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lodge minutes record that the funeral procession was then formed and the body escorted to the Bremerton cemetery, the lodge altar was draped in mourning for thirty days and an acacia was planted at the head of Brother Gudmundsen\u2019s grave.<\/p>\n

\"masonicBremerton Cemetery? I remember puzzling over just what had happened to that old pioneer\u2019s cemetery \u2013 not enough to do any serious research to find where it had been \u2013 but still, more than just idle curiosity \u2013 and mystery. Then, this last summer \u2013 while aggravating over a traffic revision that forced a detour off of Eleventh Avenue to Naval Avenue \u2013 Eureka. There it was: Ivy Green Cemetery, over fifteen picturesque acres of peace, tranquility, history and memories.<\/p>\n

\"cemeteryI strolled among stone lambs, angels and books, crosses, broken columns and scrolls. I found the imposing stone obelisk of Thomas Wren Gorman, born April 12, 1841 at Tulicrimin Kerry County Ireland, died August 31, 1929; and the simple stone of Dr. Carrie E. Logan, PH.D. NYU, \u201cborn Mt. Shaster, Calif., 1873-1914 \u2013 Daughter of a Union Soldier and a Descendent of a soldier, War of 1812 and the Am. Revolution.\u201d I found Bremerton\u2019s own Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; and the plot dedicated to the Grand Army of the Republic and the final resting place of John H. Nibb, Civil War hero and one the first recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor. A plot dedicated to U.S. War Veterans of the Spanish American War commemorates veterans of \u201cCuban, Porto Rico and the Philippine Island campaigns.\u201d<\/p>\n

I found Worshipful Brother William Seymore\u2019s polished and impressive stone \u2013 engraved with the Square and Compass of the fraternity he\u2019d dedicated his life to. But Brother Gudmundsen?<\/p>\n

\"BabyThe fifteen acres were surprisingly easy to cover \u2013 and I pretty much visited every grave site, without success. Well \u2013 without that particular success. I found the last resting places of many Masons who have gone before. I found sites commemorating Matildas, Cornelias and Getrudes \u2013 names once as common as Heather, Kimberly and Keisha may be today. I found Woodmen of the World, and I found Leda Nelson, born September 20, 1838, died September 20, 1902, \u201cA little time on earth she spent, Til God for her his angels sent,\u201d and little Baby Hope, October 5, 1904\u2014March 30, 1905, \u201cJesus\u2019 Little Lamb.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GolsmundsenBut still no Brother Gudmundsen\u2014until I ran into City of Bremerton Parks Department Specialist Chris Smith. After a brief consultation with the Register, Chris led me to RI 962, Lot 08, North Side and there, just below the Pederson Column and an inch from the stone border of another family plot, was a modest stone marker, maybe 18 inches by six inches \u2013 much eroded and defaced by time: 1851___Gudmund ____en ____19___. Brother Gudmundsen died just days after his 56th birthday, and was respectfully interred through the disinterested friendship of his brother Masons over one hundred years ago. The acacia tree was long gone, but the grave marker remains, weathered\u2014but readable.<\/p>\n

As I returned to my car, an epitaph caught my eye, \u201cLove\u2019s memory lasts forever.\u201d I couldn\u2019t help thinking that forever is an awfully long time \u2013 but that as long as they can take refuge in stone in sanctuaries such as Ivy Green, thoughts and sentiments survive.<\/p>\n

<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n

If You Go:<\/h3>\n

The park is open to the public every day from 8:00 a.m. until dusk, 1401 Naval Avenue, and the Bremerton Parks & Recreation Department stands ready to assist visitors interested in learning more about Ivy Green Cemetery. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (360) 473-5305.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

All photos are by Mike Howard.<\/em><\/p>\n

About the author:<\/em>
\nA native of Seattle, Mike Howard has traveled extensively in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, China, and Southeast Asia. Recently retired after 35 years in government public affairs and communications, he has doubled down on his passion for travel\u2014sharing his discoveries with fellow travelers. In between more extensive jaunts, he enjoys exploring historical sites up and down the Kitsap Peninsula and ocean coasts. michaelsigrid@cablespeed.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bremerton, Washington by Mike Howard I\u2019ve traveled extensively over the last few decades, but have treated my own back yard a bit cavalierly \u2013 commuting to work in the early hours and not getting home until dark. Now that I\u2019ve retired, I am constantly astounded by local treasures hidden in plain sight. Ten years back, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[714,486],"class_list":{"0":"post-3330","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-north-america-travel","8":"tag-bremerton-attractions","9":"tag-washington-travel","10":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}