Fairmount Memorial Association - Who we are?

Our association is a not-for-profit lot-owner owned cemetery association consisting of five cemeteries. We are unique in our make up, because we present an aggressive posture in what most people would consider to be a "closet industry".

Our intention is to always be in control of our future and become more and more self-sufficient. Our operations include an outer burial container manufacturing division, a monument division, a funeral home and crematorium, and a "store front" cremation outlet.

Our Association is well set for the future, owning 650 acres of land with slightly less than 300 developed.

Each one of our cemeteries began as a private enterprise.

Greenwood Memorial Terrace was originally formed as Greenwood Cemetery Association on May 23, 1888. Those familiar with the history of Spokane will recall that A.M. Cannon and his partner J.J. Browne purchased half of (what was then known as Spokan Falls) from James Glover. These men were instrumental in the birth of Spokane and were also instrumental in the birth of Greenwood. A.M. Cannon was the main incorporator and operator of Greenwood Cemetery Association. (Greenwood's name was changed to Greenwood Memorial Terrace around 1962).

Greenwood was originally watered by a spring cascading down from the rim rock located on its second level. That waterfall still exists today and can be seen throughout the spring and early summer months. We now water Greenwood and Riverside cemeteries from our own system of wells and reservoirs.

Some of the pioneer's resting at Greenwood include: A.M. Cannon, James Glover, Amasa Campbell, Reverend H.T. Cowley, The Cowles Family, Jimmie Dirken, Chief Spokane Garry, Eugene Enloe, Civil War Veteran Daniel Oliver and many more.

The Spanish American War cannon on the first level is one of only three brought back to the U.S. from the Philippines after the war.

Fairmount Memorial Park was formed as Fairmount Cemetery on May 29, 1888 (just 6 days after Greenwood - actually, both incorporation documents were filed on June 1).

Fairmount was also the first Catholic cemetery in Spokane. In July 1888, Father Cataldo worked with Fairmount to establish the large Catholic section at Fairmount which they used exclusively until the diocese opened Holy Cross Cemetery.

The key figures in the founding of Fairmount were David T. Ham, E.J. Webster, and John Wilson. Ham was a land speculator and developer from Latah and was responsible for numerous projects in this area. John Wilson was a U.S. Congressman and Senator and E.J. Webster was president of the Ross Park Electric Street Railway.

Early on, Fairmount was dubbed the Pioneer Cemetery. Those resting here include such notables as Levi and May Arkwright Hutton, Senator C.C. Dill, Catherine Sager Pringle, J.J. Browne, Willie Willey, Lincoln's bodyguard member Frank Johnson, D.C. Corbin, Patsy Clark, Ensign Monaghan, and many more.

The property originally was watered from turbines in the river. Fairmount now has its own well and tank system.

Riverside Memorial Park also had a prestigious beginning in 1907, not as a cemetery, but as Riverside Park Company. This was to be a speculative land development of John A. Finch, W.H. Cowles and their partners. The Riverside Park Cemetery Association was born out of this union on November 27, 1914, spinning off from the park company by John Finch, T.J. Meenach and others. It became Riverside Memorial Park around 1962.

Spokane pioneers resting in Riverside include, John A. Finch, Louis Davenport, Robert Strahorn, August Paulsen, and Washington State Governor Marion Hay.

Spokane Memorial Gardens is a relatively new arrival on the cemetery scene, being formed in January 1953. The land originally belonged to the Northern Pacific Railroad. Fred and Hilda Collins founded the cemetery as Northwest Memorial Gardens. Collins was also the owner and developer of Skyline Memorial Gardens in Portland, OR.

This cemetery is irrigated by city water.

Woodlawn Cemetery was formed in 1888 by the Methodist Church and was known as Englewood Cemetery. The name was eventually changed to Englewood-Woodlawn. This two-acre property was abandoned by the church and eventually came under the control of Spokane County. It sat as a derelict for many years until July 2000 when Edgecliff SCOPE volunteers convinced the county to deed the property to Fairmount Memorial Association with the promise that Fairmount would turn it into a viable cemetery operation. Since gaining control of the cemetery, we have changed the name to Woodlawn, installed an irrigation system, lawns and a garden. We have completed the first phase of an ongoing columbarium development program.

How did we become Fairmount Memorial Association?

Fairmount Cemetery fell on rocky times. E.J. Webster's niece and her husband had purchased Fairmount in 1920 and it became a failing, overgrown weed patch by the 1940's. A group of angry lot owners forced the cemetery into receivership in 1945 and took over, establishing it as a not-for-profit lot-owner association in 1946. Charles Gonser, John F. Boothe and a list of people reading like a Who's Who of Spokane were instrumental in saving this cemetery. The cemetery was bankrupt and the board members literally stood at the front gate begging for funds to maintain the property.

Riverside Park Company was purchased by Greenwood Cemetery in December 1930 and merged operations in 1931.

Greenwood and Riverside were both having financial troubles in 1970 and Fairmount Memorial Park stepped in to purchase them in January 1971.

Spokane Memorial Gardens was purchased by Fairmount Memorial Park in 1973. Fairmount purchased Spokane Memorial in a settlement transaction with the Internal Revenue Service.

Other information

Fairmount Memorial Association has an award winning flag program flying over 3000 veterans' flags over Memorial Day weekend.

The entrance of Riverside, known as Rose Circle, has won both regional and international Masonry Institute awards for its interpretation of the original Kirtland Cutter entrance design.

The book Heritage from Heroes by Dorothy Powers was published in 1993 relating the history and importance of our cemeteries to Spokane.

In January 2000, Fairmount received an award from The Better Business Bureau for being an upstanding member for 50 years