Buchanan Cemetery AKA Woodlawn
Agate Bay
Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington 98226
The late W.W. Altman contributed to this history and burials. The cemetery was set aside in 1890 (originally 40 acres) by Joseph F. Buchanan, a homesteader, upon the death of his son, Henry. It was a private cemetery first used by the family, but soon opened to any settler, and entirely unregulated by state or county. The Whatcom County Bureau of Vital Statistics has no record of this cemetery or of any of the people buried here. Through the years about 25 (some say as many as 50) people were buried here, including five Buchanans. By 1917 no further burials were permitted, but as it had always been Joseph Buchanan’s wish to be buried with the other members of his family, his desire was honored by the interment of his ashes at the grave of his wife, Sophia Jane.
