St. Joseph's Cemetery Arch - Valley, WA
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 48° 09.214 W 117° 41.594
11U E 448441 N 5333601
St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church is a little country church just off Highway 395 near the little town of Valley, WA, in Stevens County. This is the church's cemetery.
Waymark Code: WMKCXH
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 03/22/2014
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member lenron
Views: 3

Both cemetery and church were founded about 1898, with services being held in various homes until the adjacent church building was built. When the church was built, in 1905, the cemetery was moved here, to the site of the new church. The church was initially a Jesuit Mission, built by Jesuit missionary Father Aloysius Folchi, who was also responsible for the construction of St. Mary of the Rosary Parish in Chewelah.

As of this writing, Find A Grave lists a total of 144 interments in the cemetery.

A small country cemetery, its main entrance is surmounted by a small steel tube arch, under which is hung a steel or aluminum plate with cut out lettering. The entire arch is either painted or powder coated in a matte grey.

This 108 year old Catholic cemetery is still in use and is well maintained. Just inside the south gate (nearest the church) is a memorial, a bright white obelisk, dedicated to the memory of all veterans of all wars. The same memorial can be found in most cemeteries in the area.

At the north end of the cemetery is another gate, installed in 2011, dedicated to the memory of Harold and Josephine Goforth. The cemetery itself is dedicated to the memory of Father Pius Mutter. Father Mutter was a long serving and much loved pastor of the church. There is an old story of the church, concerning Father Mutter, which I shall allow the church to relate here:

A popular parish legend involving beloved pastor, Father Pius Mutter, recounts the theft of the church’s altar cross, sanctuary lamp fixture, thurible, and other sanctuary implements. Every Sunday, Father Mutter pleaded that the “missing” items be returned, but to no avail, until finally, he threatened to cancel hunting season for the year, and all of a sudden, the “missing” items mysteriously returned.
Type: Gateway

Subtype: Municipal/Regional Entrance

Location: St. Joseph's Cemetery

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