The new sign for the Sound View Cemetery on Marrowstone Island weathered its first test the day before its official presentation to the community.

The Sound View Cemetery Committee managed to draw close to a dozen community members to its sign dedication ceremony Nov. 20, in spite of the bomb cyclone that hit the Pacific Northwest on Nov. 19, which continued the following day with persistent rain.

The day marked the culmination of two years of efforts by multiple partners on the local, county, and state levels, to replace the historic cemetery’s previous wind-damaged sign.

Lisa Freiss, secretary for the cemetery committee, told The Leader how, during the winter of 2022, a 50-mile-per-hour wind blew down the last wooden sign, which had been created by resident woodworker A.W. Michaelson in 1938. Its advanced age already had it suffering from rotting support timbers.

“We considered attempting to restore his creation, but found it had soft wood and significant deterioration from many years of Pacific Northwest weather,” said Bruce Carlson, another member of the cemetery committee, who addressed attendees of the ceremony.

Carlson credited Cemetery Committee Chair Cynthia Rowe with knowing that funds were available from the state of Washington, through its Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, for historical barns, public buildings and cemeteries.

Sound View Cemetery was established in 1895, for the use of Marrowstone Island residents, and has remained in continuous use since, serving as the resting place for at least 90 U.S. military veterans, from all the branches of service and military conflicts in this country’s history, Carlson said.

Freiss added that Sound View is a non-profit, non-endowed cemetery, owned by the Marrowstone Island Community Association.

“Sound View Cemetery qualified as being of functional and cultural significance to the community, and there was a need to replace the sign, for the benefit of residents and visitors,” Carlson explained.

After soliciting proposals and bids from more than a dozen area companies, the Sound View Cemetery Committee applied for a grant last year. They received news of their grant award of $9,783 early this year, with Edensaw Woods of Port Townsend creating the replacement sign, while a Port Hadlock-based company owned by Travis Mallett  constructed a reinforced concrete foundation, and accompanying support structure, to bolster the sign against the pressure of strong winds.

“Our final costs came in $18 under budget, but we didn’t get to keep it,” Carlson laughed.

Carlson praised Edensaw for meeting the state’s requirements that the new sign replicate the historical style and appearance of the original, while being made from durable, weather-resistant marine-grade materials for longevity.

“Since their software didn’t have a suitable match for the original letters’ size and style, they took the extra step of photographing each letter on the original sign, then digitized the images, so their CNC router could exactly replicate the letters,” Carlson said.

Carlson likewise lauded Mallett for replicating the style and appearance of the original sign’s posts and crossbeam, while utilizing purpose-built metal brackets for the freestanding wooden posts, to keep all the wood above ground and prevent it from getting waterlogged in the ground.

The fir posts and beam were further crafted from reclaimed materials, and milled and treated with a rot-and-insect-proofing technique. Carlson  identified it as “shou sugi ban,” which burns the surface of the wood to close its tissue cells, making them water-resistant.

Carlson noted that volunteer labor included Doug Hansen excavating the foundation with his backhoe, Rowe and Freiss assisting by “schlepping concrete bags,” and Carlson himself helping to ensure the new sign would stand straight and level.

The new sign was installed Oct. 25, closer to the road than the original, to make it more visible.

Carlson thanked the cemetery committee as well as those who carry out the site’s upkeep. He also credited Jefferson County Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour, state representatives Mike Chapman and Steve Tharinger.

The day’s dedication ceremony was one of the qualifying conditions for the grant funds, he said.