For several years, a group of volunteers has worked to maintain Mountain View Cemetery in Centralia.
Craig Steepy, of Chehalis, has led much of the effort to maintain the property, working with several other residents over the years in order to preserve the cemetery.
To support the restoration of Mountain View Cemetery, Steepy has begun a GoFundMe fundraiser.
"Volunteers including family descendants, community members and history enthusiasts have been stepping in and slowly taking on the work themselves to care for this important place," Steepy wrote for the GoFundMe.com campaign. "Mountain View Cemetery sits in the heart of Centralia and represents the history of the city and Lewis County as a whole."
Right now, the cemetery’s current ownership has not been able to generate the revenue needed to continue regular maintenance, according to the fundraiser. As a result, the grounds are falling into disrepair, with overgrown vegetation, poorly maintained monuments and buildings that are continuing to deteriorate.
This cemetery is where many founding members of the city and some Civil War veterans are buried. Steepy and the other volunteers are clearing overgrown vegetation and working to restore deteriorating monuments.
“The cemetery is a treasure trove of information and also serves as a place for outdoor reflection, exercise and overall relaxation in one of the city’s busiest parts of town,” Steepy said on the GoFundMe campaign. “This cemetery is extremely worthy of preservation, and any donation, no matter how small, goes a long way toward helping volunteers sustain this important community resource.”
Donations will help provide fuel for equipment, equipment maintenance and cleaning supplies so volunteers can keep working, the GoFundMe stated. With enough support, the group also hopes to purchase shared equipment and supplies that can be stored on hand for volunteer use instead of relying only on personal tools and materials.
To learn more or to donate, visit https://tinyurl.com/577wd4ts.
Following years of turbulence, which included foreclosure and repeated failed attempts to sell the property, Lewis County approved the sale of Mountain View Cemetery in 2024. Read more about the sale and new owners at https://tinyurl.com/2u3vcrc5.
