Washington Soldiers Home Cemetery is a 20 acre site located in Orting, WA.
The soldiers cemetery, on the hill just above the Soldiers Home, is filled with a history of our nation with gravestones for soldiers dating back to service in the Civil War.
There are four Medal of Honor recipients buried in the cemetery, all dating to the Civil War.
The Soldiers Home was established in 1891 as Washington's first veterans domiciliary, the campus includes residences and nursing care; the cemetery was relocated from its lowland site, which is now the trout pond.
Surprisingly there is very little historical data about the cemetery on the web.
Alex U. McHale
b. 1842 d. March 13, 1911
Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Entered the service at Muskegon, Michigan and was a Corporal in Company H, 26th Michigan Infantry. At Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, on May 12, 1864, he captured a Confederate color in a charge, threw the flag over in front of his lines and continued in the charge upon the enemy. Citation was issued on January 11, 1900 and the award accredited to the state of Michigan.
Civil War Era Medal of Honor
William H. Sickles
b. October 27, 1844 d. September 26, 1938
Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. He enlisted in the Union Army at the age 16 on May 11, 1861 and served as a Sergeant in Company B of the 7th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. At Gravelly Run, Virginia on March 31, 1865 he with a comrade recaptured a Union officer from a detachment of 9 Confederates, capturing 3 of the detachment and dispersing the remainder. He mustered out of the Union Army on July 3, 1865.
Soldiers Home Cemetery Funeral 1911
Historic Garfield Hall at the Soldiers Home now abandoned. Restoration efforts
are in the works with public and veteran agency support.
Albert O'Conner
b. July 15, 1843 d. April 3, 1928
Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. He enlisted at West Point Township, Columbia County, Wisconsin June 12, 1861 and served as a Sergeant in Company A of the 7th Wisconsin Infantry. At Gravelly Run, Virginia on March 31, 1865 he with a comrade recaptured a Union officer from a detachment of 9 Confederates, capturing 3 of the detachment and dispersing the remainder. On April 1, 1865, he seized a stand of Confederate colors, killing a Confederate officer in a hand to hand combat...
Albert O'Conner
Washington Soldiers
Home Cemetery
Orting, WA
George L. Houghton
b. August 28, 1841 d. 1917
Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Entered the Army at Brookfield, Cook County, Illinois and served as a Private in Company D, 104th Illinois Infantry. At the Elk River, Tennessee on July 2, 1863, he was a member of a volunteer party that under a heavy fire, captured a Confederate stockade and saved the bridge from destruction. His citation was issued on March 27, 1900 and he is one of 24 Canadians awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during the Civil War.
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One of the most visible legacies left by any township is the cemeteries. These sacred grounds tell the story of these forgotten communities.
