Planning an interment? Prior arrangements with Laurel Grove are required for site marking and record keeping. All other burial services are handled by independent providers. Read our responsibilities notice

A PORT TOWNSEND LANDMARK

A place to remember.
A history to honor.

In the heart of Port Townsend, Laurel Grove Cemetery holds the stories of generations—a quiet place to reflect, remember loved ones, and connect with our community’s past.

550 Discovery Rd Port Townsend, Washington

Chief Chetzemoka’s grave marker at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Townsend
CHIEF CHETZEMOKA’S GRAVE LAUREL GROVE

Honoring lives. Preserving stories. Remembering together.

ROOTED IN OUR COMMUNITY

The stories of a town,
held across generations.

Laurel Grove’s history reaches back to the nineteenth century, when Port Townsend was growing as a maritime community on the Salish Sea.

The Jefferson County Genealogical Society, citing City of Dreams, records that the local Masonic lodge purchased eleven acres on Discovery Road in 1871 to establish the present cemetery. Remains from earlier burial grounds were reinterred here.

Explore the historical record

LIVES REMEMBERED

More than names in stone.

Every memorial represents a life. Together, they connect personal remembrance with the wider history of this place.

01 / LOCAL HISTORY

Chief Chetzemoka

The S’Klallam leader and signer of the 1855 Treaty of Point No Point was buried at Laurel Grove in 1888. His life remains an important part of the history of Port Townsend and the S’Klallam people.

Read the Tribe’s account
02 / SERVICE & REMEMBRANCE

Honoring service

A Civil War memorial, erected in 1895 by Farragut Corps No. 38 of the Woman’s Relief Corps, stands within the cemetery. It offers a place to reflect on service and sacrifice.

Learn about the memorial
03 / FAMILY CONNECTIONS

Generations of stories

A name, a date, or a family inscription can be the beginning of a discovery. Local cemetery records help descendants and researchers connect those details with family history.

Explore research resources

FIND LAUREL GROVE

A moment of quiet.
A meaningful visit.

550 Discovery Rd
Port Townsend, WA 98368

The cemetery is on the west side of Discovery Road, between 22nd and 24th streets.

Get directions

VISITING WITH CARE

A shared place of remembrance.

Whether you are visiting a loved one or learning about local history, please help preserve the peace and dignity of the grounds.

  • Give families and services privacy and space.
  • Leave headstones, flowers, and memorial objects undisturbed.
  • Please watch your step and take care around uneven ground and older monuments.
  • To help keep the grounds peaceful and welcoming, please leave pets at home. Service animals are welcome.
  • Please obtain approval from Laurel Grove Cemetery before planting any trees, shrubs, flowers, or other vegetation on the grounds.
  • Follow posted notices and leave the grounds as you found them.

For visiting questions, call 360.553.1191.

FOLLOW A FAMILY STORY

Begin your research.

These independent resources can help locate burial records and explore family connections. Historical transcriptions may contain errors or omissions; compare records where possible.

CARE & COMMUNITY

Masonic square and compasses

Port Townsend
Lodge No. 6

Port Townsend Lodge No. 6 supports Laurel Grove Cemetery through limited volunteer grounds care, honoring those interred and the property’s place in the community. This care is offered as a gesture of respect, rather than a contracted or guaranteed maintenance service.

To arrange a work party or help with cleanup, mowing, and maintenance, contact Patrick Wright, caretaker, at 715-209-2395. Patrick provides work party schedules and equipment policies; please coordinate with him before participating.

PLANNING WITH CARE

Burial arrangements
& responsibilities

Laurel Grove handles plot sales, related deeds or interment-right documents, and the marking and flagging of burial sites. All other funeral, burial, and memorial services must be arranged separately with independent providers.

No interment, including the interment of cremated remains, may take place without prior arrangements with Laurel Grove Cemetery for site marking and proper record keeping. Families and burial organizers are responsible for arranging all other work, including grave digging and filling and receiving or placing headstones, with appropriate independent providers.

Read the responsibilities for families and funeral providers

WE’RE HERE TO HELP

Contact Laurel Grove.

For plot availability, purchases, deeds or interment-right documents, cemetery records, and visiting requirements, please call or email. Please contact Laurel Grove before any interment to arrange site marking and record keeping. All other funeral, burial, and memorial services must be arranged with independent providers.

Laurel Grove Cemetery is not a perpetual care cemetery. Grounds care is limited and volunteer-supported.