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<br /> <br />Kittitas County Historical Society, Inc. <br />114 E Third Ave <br />Ellensburg, WA 98926 <br />509.925.3778 <br />www.kchm.org <br /> <br />Page 1 of 4 <br /> <br />February 22, 2021 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Kittitas County <br />Board of Commissioners <br />205 W 5th Ave., Ste. 108 <br />Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887 <br /> <br />To the Board of Commissioners: <br /> <br />The Kittitas County Historical Society, Inc. is seeking permission and support for its project to place <br />three permanent headstones in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery, located at 1900 Brick <br />Road, Ellensburg. The burials are located in a plot owned by Kittitas County, identified as Lot numbered <br />148 in Block D (or D-148). The three headstones in question belong to the decedents: Frank M. Henson <br />(1845-1917) located in D-148-04, Frederick A. Stephens (February 16, 1829-March 6, 1917) located in <br />D-148-05, and James N. Ferguson (May 7, 1840-February 28, 1918) located in D-148-06. <br /> <br />This project came about through research on Frank M. Henson, who has the distinction of being the <br />first black individual to reside permanently in Kittitas County. He had been brought to the attention of <br />museum staff in 2016, and through further research, it was identified he had been a Civil War soldier, <br />having served in Company C of the 29th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (United State Colored Troops), <br />November 3, 1864 until November 6, 1865. In preparation for Black History Month 2021 (February), <br />the City of Ellensburg council partnered with our Museum to do a series of social media postings on <br />local history related to our community’s black history, which included Frank M. Henson among many <br />other individuals and events. <br /> <br />In order to provide a complete background on Frank M. Henson, a gravestone picture was needed <br />since the gravesite was known – but when museum staff arrived onsite, there was not even a marker <br />to be located. To the immediate right of the identified resting place, two other Civil War soldiers laid <br />with only temporary markers covering their resting places (for Frederick A. Stephens and James N. <br />Ferguson). These temporary markers were exactly that, temporary – with the intention that a <br />permanent marker of granite or marble would be placed. Whether it was due to the circumstances of <br />World War I or the Spanish Influenza, as both were occurring at the time of the men’s deaths (in 1917 <br />and 1918), these men had been forgotten. <br /> <br />When mentioning these to the City of Ellensburg and museum board members, it was agreed that it <br />was necessary to place permanent markers upon each individuals’ headstone. The Museum has also <br />agreed to fund any costs associated with this project, such as setting fees.