DEPARTMENT of RHODE ISLAND
SONS of UNION VETERANS of the
CIVIL WAR
SONS of UNION VETERANS of the CIVIL WAR
Commodore Joel Abbot, Camp No. 21
Island Cemetery, G.A.R. Memorial Restoration Project
Help Us Preserve Our Civil War Heritage
The above photograph was taken in 1918. With the exception of the headstones, none of the items remain.
Commodore Joel Abbot, Camp No. 21 is in the process of restoring the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) memorial at the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Burial plot in Island Cemetery, 30 Warner Street, Newport, Rhode Island. In order to restore the plot to its original condition, 49 G.A.R. grave markers, one 25 foot flag pole and two cannon will be needed.
G.A.R. Grave Marker Installation
In September 2000, Brother Mike Kennedy and Brother Ken Lucier installed the new G.A.R. grave markers. The installation took three weekends to complete. 60 pounds of cement were used along with 49 six inch pieces of PVC pipe. A ten inch hole was dug in front of each headstone. The PVC pipe was placed into the hole. The grave markers were placed into the PVC pipe, cement was poured into the pipe, which was then covered with soil.
Brother Kennedy digging holes for G.A.R. grave markers at the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Burial Plot. The back row was completed the week prior.
Also, while installing the grave markers, numerous headstones were straightened and two headstones were repaired. The two headstones which were repaired were broken just below the soil. Both headstones were excavated and reset into cement to effect the repair.
Brother Kennedy makes the finishing touches to the second row of grave markers at the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Burial Plot.
The grave of Milby Mitchell, Private, Company K, 30th United States Colored Troops, with new G.A.R. grave marker permenantly installed.
Flagpole Installation
On May 6th 2001, Brothers Mike Kennedy, Ken Lucier, and Dale Wheeler installed the new flagpole at the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Burial Plot.
New flagpole at the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Burial Plot.
Brothers Mike Kennedy and Dale Wheeler installing the new flagpole at the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Burial Plot.
History of the Burial Plot
The Soldiers and Sailors Burial Plot in Island Cemetery, 30 Warner Street, Newport, Rhode Island, was deeded in April 1889 to Mr. Edmund H. Schermerhorn. A $1,000 deposit was made for the perpetual care of the plot. Mr. Schermerhorn then sold the plot to the Charles Lawton Post #5 and Gouverneur K. Warren Post #21, Grand Army of the Republic, for the amount of $1.00. The deed states that only "the bodies of deceased Soldiers and Sailors who fought in the army and navy of the United States in the late war for the preservation of the Union" can be interred in the plot. The intent of the plot was that no Civil War veteran would be ever buried in a pauper's grave. The plot currently contains the remains of 49 veterans from numerous states and units, including several African-Americans who served in regiments designated as "United States Colored Troops" (USCT).
Click HERE to view a map of Island Cemetery.