FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Calvin Chappelle,
Site Director
calvin.chappelle@ahc.alabama.gov 205-755-1990
April 26, 2022
Confederate
Memorial Park to host Cemetery Tour
(Marbury,
AL) Confederate Memorial Park, a historical property of the Alabama Historical
Commission, will host a special cemetery tour on Saturday, May 28, at 10 am. By
1865, there was hardly a family in Alabama unaffected by the loss or
incapacitation of a loved one. For many years after the war, it was a common
sight throughout the nation to see veterans with an empty sleeve or trouser
leg, or hobbling along on crutches or in a wheelchair. The many bone-shattering
wounds made amputation a common procedure, and many other veterans suffered
from ailments exacerbated by years of war campaigns and limited medical
treatments. Told through a medical lens, visitors will learn about the lives of
veterans buried at the Soldiers’ Home and how war-time wounds and ailments were
treated during and after the war.
Spread over 102 acres of rolling
wooded countryside near the center of the state, Confederate Memorial Park
incorporates the site of Alabama’s only Confederate veterans’ home. Life for
the old soldiers, called “inmates” at the Home, was better than most had known
before their admission. The Home provided housing, meals, clothing, allowances,
medical care and, for many, a place to die and be buried with dignity. The
museum offers exhibits on the life of an Alabama Confederate veteran from
recruitment to old age, including hundreds of artifacts from the Civil War and
the Soldiers' Home.
Admission for the tour is $10 per person and museum admission is included. For
additional information, call the museum at 205-755-1990.
Confederate
Memorial Park is located at 437 County Road 63, Marbury, AL 36051. Attendees
should enter through the South gate located closest to Hwy 143.
To learn more
about Confederate Memorial Park or the Alabama Historical Commission please
visit www.ahc.alabama.gov.
About
Confederate Memorial Park
Confederate Memorial Park is the site of Alabama's only
Confederate Soldiers' Home. The site operated from 1902-1939 as a haven for
disabled or indigent veterans of the Confederate army, their wives, and widows.
The majority of veterans served in Alabama outfits, while others moved to
Alabama after the war. The last veteran died at the home in 1934. The facility
closed in 1939 when the five remaining widows were moved to Montgomery for
better care.
About the Alabama Historical Commission
Located
in historic downtown Montgomery at 468 S. Perry Street,
the Alabama Historical Commission is the state historic preservation agency for
Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966
with a mission to protect, preserve and interpret Alabama’s historic
places. AHC works to accomplish its mission through two fields of endeavor:
Preservation and promotion of state-owned historic sites as public attractions;
and, statewide programs to assist people, groups, towns, and cities with local
preservation activities. For a complete list of programs and properties owned
and operated by the AHC, hours of operation, and admission fees please visit ahc.alabama.gov
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