Washington State 

Lake View Cemetary CSA Veterans Memorial (Seattle, WA)

From the request of the Confederate veterans, Mrs. Wilkins ordered and received a 10 ton block of granite from Stone Mountain, Georgia, for the Confederate Monument. It arrived on the steamship Monticello coming through the Panama Canal. Edward G. Messett, of the Sunset Monument Company, and James A. Wehn, sculptor, were chosen to be the designers. Mr. Messett carved the stone and Mr. Wehn modeled the bronze insignia, cross of honor and crossed bayonets. As a gift, Mr. Wehn did the bronze plaque of Robert E. Lee’s head. Mr. James Wehn, the Seattle Sculptor, created most of the statutes around in the City of Seattle.

Corner stone of the monument was laid on April 11, 1926, at 3:30 pm at Lake View Cemetery. Confederate Veteran Commander D.F. Dodge and Mrs. Bradley T. Fowlkes, Chapter President, placed the cornerstone with a box of chapter records sealed beneath it. Lead by Montgomery Lynch, the Temple Chorus sang. Mr. Scott Bullitt was the keynote speaker. Mr. Wehn gave a tea party at his studio. Private unveiling was held on Memorial Day with speakers which included Washington State Governor Roland H. Hartley, Seattle Mayor Edwin J. Brown, and Tacoma’s Mayor-Elect M. G. Tennent with leaders of Veteran groups from all over the state attending.

Public unveiling of the monument was held on May 23, 1926, in Lake View Cemetery with the raising of General George E. Pickett’s battle-scarred 8th Virginia Battle flag [1] from Gettysburg. It joined the United States Flag on the flagpole. Mrs. Norton’s great, great grandson since donated the Pickett battle flag to the Harrisburg, PA., Civil War Museum.

Jefferson Davis Highway 99 marker (Vancouver, WA)

Confederate veteran Joseph Pritchett unveiled the Jefferson Davis Highway Marker in Vancouver on June 18. The marker was placed on the Washington - Oregon border and presented to Governor Clarence D. Martin. It was a gift to the state of Washington. Past President General Mrs. John C. Woodbury gave the presentation with the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Affairs as part of the ceremony. The Chapter entertained Mrs. Woodbury during her visit to Seattle. Judge and Mrs. Ben Moore gave a garden party for Mrs. Woodbury with 200 guests in attendance.
In the 1950s it was moved for widen of the road. In 1990s it was removed by a Vancouver, WA city council member and the city director. Located in the city cemetery, it was placed on the Clark County Museum grounds on September 19, 2002. In 2006 it was removed again. To give it a permament home, land was purchased and the Vancouver marker is now located on the nothern corner of Clark County in the Jefferson Davis Park just off of Interstate 5.

Jefferson Davis Highway 99 marker (Blaine, WA)

On May 24 at 1 P.M., the UDC President General, Mrs. Charles Bolling, presented this Jefferson Davis Highway 99 marker to the State of Washington’s Lt. Governor Victor Meyers. J. B. Pritchett did the unveiling with members of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Canadian Legion, and Women’s Canadian Club in attendance.
During the ceremony, Mrs. Wilkins introduced Mayors from Vancouver, B.C., Victoria, B.C., Westminster, B.C., Honorable F.J. Humes of Bellingham, WA, and Mayor J.W. Sheets of Blaine, WA. Many other state dignitaries also participated in the ceremony: Secretary of State and President of State Park Board, Mrs. Belle Reeves and State Department of Highways, James A. Davis. Many Canadian officials took part in the ceremonies: Honorable Premier of the British Columbia Provincial Government; Minister of Lands, and Honorable A. Wells Gray; President Women’s Canadian Club, Mrs. F. J. Rolston of Vancouver, Canada; Mayor of Victoria, Honorable Andres McGavin; Mayor of Vancouver, Honorable J. W. Cornett; Chairman Vancouver Park Board, J. Rowe Holland; Mayor of Westminster and President International Peace Arch Association, and Honorable B.E. Hamming.

Mrs. May Avery Wilkins stated that the placing of the Jefferson Davis Highway 99 Marker in the Peace Arch Park, “has allowed the Washington Division to have the honor of closing the LAST LINK in the Jefferson Davis National Highway. This Transcontinental Highway, from ocean to ocean connecting the East with the West, is one of the greatest pieces of work ever attempted by a woman’s organization.” Jefferson Davis Highway markers were placed on boundary lines of states running from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Ms. Leora Steward wrote in the local newspaper that Mrs. Bolling attended a banquet held in her honor. She was the first president general to attend a Washington Division Convention. At the head table with Mrs. Bolling were Mayor Earl Millikin who gave the city’s official greetings and Mrs. Millikin; Division President Mrs. Leslie J. Ayer, wife of faculty member Leslie Ayer at the University of Washington Law School. Mrs. Belle Reeves, secretary of state who brought the message from Governor Arthur B. Langlie and Professor Robert W. Jones of the University of Washington who gave the invocation.