Hill Grove cemetery near Seattle-Tacoma airport (at 200th Street and Des Moines Way S) was started in 1900 and received its most recent burial in 1970. Since its founding, the cemetery property has been surrounded by the nearby airport and has suffered from poor maintenance and vandalism.
The cemetery was intended to be a local community cemetery. Family lots were sold to at least 56 local families, and in 1923 a cemetery association was incorporated to manage the land. An overall cemetery plan was put together and implementation begun.
Changes in the surrounding communities precipitated the decline of Hill Grove Cemetery. The airport grew up around it and the nearby roads became major arteries. With no permanent funding, the cemetery became run down. A number of grave markers at the site have been stolen or vandalized.
Sources:
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 6, 1979, pp. B2.
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