Sketchy Everett Vol. 39: Evergreen Cemetery
Originally published on October 18, 2021. Updated October 13, 2022.
Grave markers and lichen-covered headstones dot the grassy hills, with no discernible order. Giant maple trees shed their fire-red canopies and majestic golden cypress emphasize each vista. Strolling around the rolling hills and crunchy leaves of Evergreen Cemetery in the autumn feels like a countryside ramble despite its location at 4505 Broadway, next to Interstate 5 in north Everett.
More than 50,000 people are interred in the 100 acres, from Civil War veterans to those who died in the 1916 Everett Massacre to beloved US Senator Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson. I caught a glimpse of the famed Rucker Tomb, a massive granite pyramid structure. Despite living in Everett for half a dozen years, I'd never had occasion to see it myself. The imposing mausoleum was built in 1907 by a pair of Everett's founders, the Rucker Brothers, in tribute to their mother, Jane Morris Rucker.
This cemetery is like a lot of things in Everett. It's easy to miss its secrets if you're just passing through. But, walk through the gates, linger under the giant trees planted long ago by those who came before us, and you might discover something casually astonishing.
Elizabeth is an award-winning Everett, Washington-based artist and graphic designer. Using pen and watercolor, she sketches from life and creates 'illustrative infographics,' often featuring Northwest themes.
