Confederate Memorial Park
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From the museum collection: Carte de visite of Lt. Col. William Newton Crump, 49th Alabama Infantry. Crump first served as Captain of Company I, 49th Alabama before becoming Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment. He resigned his commission on February 27, 1863 at Port Hudson, Louisiana. During the Civil War, the blockade of southern ports by the Union navy prevented the Confederates from importing gunpowder. Crump's family land included Crump Cave, which was mined for saltpet...er. After the war Crump worked as a farmer, Methodist preacher, and served in the State Senate and Legislature. He died on Oct. 14, 1882 and is buried in Blount County, Alabama. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #museumcollections

Today is Veterans Day, a day in which we honor all of America’s veterans, and its roots begin with the end of World War I. Known at the time as The Great War it officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. However, fighting had ended seven months prior when an armistice between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Therefore, November 11, 1918 is generally regarded as... the end of the war to end all wars. In 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the day to commemorate Armistice Day. By 1938, an Act made November 11 a legal holiday dedicated to world peace and for honoring veterans of World War I. On June 1, 1954, the Act was amended and replaced Armistice with Veterans, thereby making Veterans Day a day to honor American veterans of all wars. Confederate veterans and their descendants have distinguished themselves fighting under the flag of the United States in every conflict since the Civil War. This article from the Montgomery Advertiser dated May 12, 1919, captures several of the local celebrations for the returning soldiers of 167th Alabama Infantry, also known as the "Old Fourth." The "new veterans" were visited by the "old veterans" from the Soldiers’ Home for forty minutes at the Mountain Creek Depot, and several residents of the Soldiers' Home had served in the Fourth Alabama Infantry. Alabama hosted a four-day celebration for the returning soldiers of the 167th with celebrations taking place across the state with parades and larger celebrations occurring in cities such as Mobile, Montgomery, and Birmingham. Learn more about the history of the unit here: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3734 #AHCsites #AlabamaHistory #WorldWar1 #VeteransDay

The museum at Confederate Memorial Park will be closed on Wednesday, November 11 in observance of Veterans Day. The park will remain open from dawn until dusk. To all veterans - thank you for your service! World War I victory parade in downtown Montgomery, Alabama, 1919. Image courtesy Alabama Department of Archives and History

Please be advised that Alabama’s statewide mask order takes effect at 5 p.m. today (July 16, 2020). Citizens and visitors are highly encouraged to help slow the spread of #COVID19 by wearing a mask/face covering when out in public and at our site. #MaskUpAL #TogetherAL #AHCSites

The Dec. 29, 1973 edition of the Montgomery Advertiser presumed Mrs. Adelle R. Copeland as the last Confederate window of Montgomery County, Alabama. On Oct. 23, 1915 she had married John "Jack" Stephen Copeland (he was 75 - she was 25). Jack Copeland enlisted as a Private in Co. E, 29th Alabama Infantry in Russell County on Sept. 1, 1863. He was wounded at battle of Chickamauga and was paroled on May 15, 1865. His Confederate pension was first approved in July, 1904. It wa...s not uncommon for a young woman in need to marry an older veteran. The veteran benefited from having a helping hand, and the young woman often benefited from his additional income through a Confederate pension. The 1920 census shows Jack (age 81), Adelle (29), Louise Dennis (step-daughter age 11), and Frack C. Dennis (step-son age 7). Ill health forced Jack to move to the Alabama Confederate Soldiers' Home in Mountain Creek sometime after January, 1920. Adelle continued to raise her small family without her aging husband. Jack died on Feb. 10, 1922 at age 83 and is buried in Cemetery No. 2. Adelle worked as a housekeeper until she retired in 1955. She died on Dec. 28, 1973. #AHCsites #confederatewidow

The sun shone brightly on Cemetery No. 2 this morning. There are 224 burials in this cemetery - eight are unknown, and fifteen are women. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #cemetery

Charles Newman with wife Narcissa Jane (Cash) Newman and grandson Ralph Erlick. Charles Newman enlisted in the 15th Alabama Infantry on July 3, 1861 at Ft. Mitchell, AL when he was 20 years old. He was said to be a splendid soldier" by Col. W.C. Oates (later Governor of Alabama from 1894 to 1896, and a brigadier general in the U.S. Army during the SpanishAmerican War). Newman was captured at Gettysburg, PA on July 2, 1863 and sent to Ft. McHenry, MD in July 1863 and then ...to Ft. Delaware, DE. He was released on June 14, 1865 and listed as being 6 ' tall with a sallow complexion, dark hair, and gray eyes. On Dec. 31, 1870 he married Narcissa Jane Cash. Not much is known about his occupation or their life over the years. In his application to the Soldiers’ Home, he stated that he saw action at Winchester, Cross Keys, Port Republic, Cold Harbor, Hazel River, Second Manassas, Harpers Ferry, Sharpsburg, Shepherdstown, Fredericksburg, Suffolk, and Gettysburg. He and his wife applied to the Soldiers Home together on Feb 1912, stating that their children we working for their daily bread and unable to care for them. At that time, Charles was 70 and Narcissa was 58. He died on Nov. 23, 1920. Narcissa left the Home after her husband’s death and lived in Birmingham. She was buried next to her husband after her death on Nov. 29, 1927. Both are buried in Cemetery No. 2. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark

This article from the April 9, 1904 Montgomery Advertiser gives us new insight regarding the first matron at the Soldiers' Home. At the same time that A. J. Brooks served as commandant, Mrs. Mary Warren of Montgomery, Ala. was chosen by the executive committee of the Board of Control to serve as matron. A separate article notes that Mrs. Warren was taking a course in nursing in New York at the time she was selected. The matron generally saw to the overall well being of the veterans living at the Home. We look forward to learning more about Mrs. Warren and the other matrons who served at the Home over the years. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #womenshistory

Thanks to everyone who has reached out to us today concerning the site. Fortunately, none of our buildings or the museum sustained any damage from the storm. However, we still have a lot of cleanup ahead of us and we are focusing our efforts on the most frequently used areas at the park. We will be closed again tomorrow as we continue our cleanup efforts and we will continue to post updates here. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark

Behind the Scenes Series: Confederate Knives: In this video, our site director dicusses a few of the knives not currently on display in the museum. Young men from the South marching off to war for the first time in 1861 did not want to leave unarmed. Long arms and hand guns were expensive and harder to come by in rural communities, but knives were easily made by local blacksmiths. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #museumcollections #knives

With cooler weather moving in, it’s a great time to enjoy our nature trail and the natural serenity of the park. For the more adventurous types, be sure to check out the many trails that branch out from the gravel path. The park is open daily from dawn until dusk. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #walkingtrails #alabamathebeautiful

Today marks the 117th anniversary of when the State of Alabama officially assumed control of the Alabama Confederate Soldiers’ Home (Oct. 6, 1903). Before being transferred to the State, the property belonged to U.C.V Camp Jeff Falkner, No. 1382, having been deeded to it by Capt. J. M. Falkner who was the driving force behind the creation of the Soldiers' Home. Confederate Memorial Park (encompassing the original site of the Home) has been under the Alabama Historical Commission since Dec. 20, 1971. #AHCsites #alabamahistory #confederatememorialpark #OnThisDay

This article from the June 13, 1902 Montgomery Advertiser further illustrates the role the Lizzie Falkner and other women played in the establishment of the Soldiers' Home at Mountain Creek. "The success with which these ladies are meeting is evidence of the quick recognition of the good of the cause for which they are working and of the enthusiasm with which they put their case." The author of the article, Mrs. J.M. deCottes is quite blunt towards the end -... "Don't, citizens of Alabama, let those old soldiers 'ask ye for bread' while they live and expect to palliate the offense by 'giving them a stone' when they are dead. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #womenshistory

It’s all hands on deck today! The museum staff is assisting the grounds crew with storm cleanup. Many hands make light work! #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #teamwork

In this video, our site director discusses a few of the glass bottles in our collection that are not currently on display in the museum. The Soldiers' Home served as many as 800 residents between 1902 and 1939, so it's not surprising that we have found such a variety of bottles at the site. These include bottles that held whiskey, beer, soda, condiments, medicines, cleaners, and even sulphuric acid! Are you interested in a particular type of bottle? Let us know and we can share more details in the comments section. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #museumcollections #glassbottles

Confederate Memorial Park is currently closed for storm damage cleanup.Confederate Memorial Park is currently closed for storm damage cleanup.

Women played an important role in the establishment and maintenance of the Alabama Confederate Soldiers' Home. Ongoing comfort and care for the veterans came in many forms including the donations of quilts. In this video, our site director discusses a quilt that was donated in 1927 and how you can best care for your treasured quilts at home. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #museumcollections #collectionscare #quilts #womenshistory

Jefferson Manly Falkner (1843-1907) was the driving force in the creation of the Alabama Confederate Soldiers’ Home. He was an attorney and public official in Montgomery who had served as a lieutenant in the 8th Confederate Cavalry. He was characterized as the Father of Good Roads in Alabama, having inaugurated the movement which resulted in the building of magnificent macadamized roads through a great portion of the State. In 1901, United Confederate Veteran Camp Jeff Fal...kner was named in his honor. The camp’s avowed objective was to organize a home for indigent Confederate veterans. Falkner donated the land at Mountain Creek for the site and was chairman of the Executive Committee of the facility until his death in 1907. He was buried in nearby Marbury, but his grave was relocated to the Soldiers’ Home cemetery in 1926. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #alabamahistory

A beautiful yet sad account of friendship and camaraderie... On June 14, 1919, Levi Daniel Wilson passed away at the Alabama Confederate Soldiers Home leaving behind his lifelong friend and roommate, John Jackson Moseley. Both men attended school together as boys and enlisted in Montgomery, Alabama on Sept. 17, 1861 in Wood's Regiment, Co. H., Wirt Adams' Cavalry. They saw action together at Shiloh, Baker's Creek, Corinth, and "numerous other small fights."... Wilson was captured near Port Gibson, Miss. on Feb 14, 1864 and sent to Camp Douglas. He was discharged on June 13, 1865. Moseley surrendered at Citronelle, Ala. on May 4, 1865 and was paroled shortly after at Gainesville, Ala. on May 12, 1865. After the war both men returned to farming, an occupation they would maintain until their later years. They both married, and both suffered the loss of children. Moseley's daughter Annie died at age 20, and Wilson lost his daughter Lucy at age 2 and his son Samuel at age 4. Both were widowers when they took up residence at the Soldiers' Home, neither having children who could care for them. By at least 1910, Wilson has suffered a stroke, impairing the use of his left leg and arm. Wilson is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Montgomery, Ala. Moseley died on Jan 5, 1919 and is buried in Cemetery No. 2. We like to think that Moseley was reunited with his friend at his Last Roll Call. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #confederateveteran #friendship

Postwar photo of Pvt. James Dallas Rudd, Co G, 47th Alabama Infantry (pictured bottom-left) with family. Rudd served as "Resident Minister" at the Soldiers' Home and is frequently noted as presiding over burials at the Home. According to the 1907 Confederate Census, Rudd was born in Decatur, Georgia on Jan 11, 1846. He enlisted in the 40th Tennessee but was soon discharged and reenlisted in Co G, 47th Alabama Infantry. Rudd claimed that he was wounded in the collarbone at P...eachtree Creek, GA, July 20, 1864. He was paroled at Greensboro, Alabama on May 1, 1865. He married Nancy Ann Watson who died in 1870. He then married Hester Ann Hutchinson in 1871, and by 1900 they are listed as living in Nacogdoches, Texas. She died in Oct. 1915, the same month and year that James D. Rudd applies to live at the Soldiers' Home. During his time at the facility, he married a third time to inmate and widow Sara Holly Story Bell on April 10, 1927. He was age 82, she was age 81. James D. Rudd died on June 19, 1928, age 83. Sara left the Soldiers' Home but returned on June 30, 1929. She died on June 14, 1932 at the age of 86 and is buried next to her fist husband, William R. Bell, where a space had been reserved for her in Cemetery No. 2. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #confederateveteran #cemeteryhistory

The Alabama Confederate Soldiers' Home served somewhere between 650 to 800 individuals between 1902 and 1939. Of that number, 298 veterans and 15 widows were buried between the two cemeteries. However, not every veteran or widow lived at the Home until their death, and it was not uncommon for those who died at the home to be buried in other cemeteries - sometimes even in other states! We are currently compiling historic burial notices in order to learn more about the veterans who lived here as well as those who were not interred on site. Here are just a few of the notices we have found so far. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #confederateveteran #historicalresearch

Dr. John D. Eiland and his wife, Jettie Boone Eiland, circa 1915. Dr Eiland was first appointed Physician of the Soldiers' Home in 1915 and then served as Commandant until 1920. In his later years he recalled "...those five years in which I took not one day off for anything and never was away for one night. Those years will always remain in my memory as as some of the hardest years of my life, but yet also a fulfillment of an outstanding accomplishment." Dr. Eiland's wife, J...ettie Boone Eiland, was appointed matron of the hospital and proved a great help ensuring that hospital affairs ran smoothly. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #alabamahistory

A sneak peek at a quilt from our museum collection. Since we had to cancel our behind-the-scenes tour this month due to ongoing coronavirus concerns, we will be rolling out a series of short videos on objects that are not currently on view in our museum. Stay tuned for the first video that should run next Wednesday. In addition to placing objects within the context of the Soldiers' Home, we will offer advise on how you can care for similar objects at home. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #museumcollections #collectionscare

Sometimes our research turns up unexpected but wonderful results! Check out this advertisement from the September 7, 1922 issue of the Blockton Enterprise which details the program for a Fiddlers' Convention at the 'Old Soldiers' Home" in Mountain Creek. Also pictured is John S. Tucker with his fiddle, 1915. Tucker served in Co D, 29th Alabama Infantry with his father and brother and was a resident of the Soldiers' Home until his death in 1916. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #fiddle #confederateveteran

Fall colors are trickling in at the park! #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #alabamathebeautiful

Last weekend, a gentleman stopped by and dropped off a copy of an original program that featured his grandfather, Alfred Harrison Lee. Lee served in Co. G, 6th Alabama Cavalry, saw action during the Atlanta Campaign, and was an "inmate" of the Alabama Confederate Soldiers' Home first appearing on the 1908 Soldiers' Home roster. On Dec. 21 of the same year, Lee was seeking the honors for the best "non-professional Alabama soldier violinist" in a contest that "would make 'Turke...y in Straw' blush." The program was organized to benefit the Soldiers' Home and to help put headstones on the graves of those buried in the Home's cemetery. Lee boasted in the Montgomery Advertiser - "I want to meet the man from Coosa county who says that he is the best 'fiddler' in Alabama. I will make him take to the tall timbers of his mountainous hills before he pulls a successful bow against me." Soldiers' Home Commandant, Capt. J. M. Simpson, attended with the veterans from Mountain Creek that evening and offered the closing remarks. Lee appears again on the 1909 and on the Sept. 26, 1910 Soldiers' Home rosters. He died on Nov. 24, 1910, and was buried in his home county of Lowndes, Alabama. #AHCsites #alabamahistory #confederatememorialpark #confederateveteran #fiddler #violinist

Letter dated April 8, 1862 at Corinth, Mississippi on printed paper poem about The Battle of Belmont! by Capt. De Gray Bennett. In the letter, Pvt. E. W. Treadwell, Co. H, 19th Alabama Infantry, discusses his regiment’s participation during and after the battle of Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862). #ahcsites #confederatememorialpark #museumcollections

Charles Newman with wife Narcissa Jane (Cash) Newman and grandson Ralph Erlick. Charles Newman enlisted in the 15th Alabama Infantry on July 3, 1861 at Ft. Mitchell, AL when he was 20 years old. He was said to be a splendid soldier" by Col. W.C. Oates (later Governor of Alabama from 1894 to 1896, and a brigadier general in the U.S. Army during the SpanishAmerican War). Newman was captured at Gettysburg, PA on July 2, 1863 and sent to Ft. McHenry, MD in July 1863 and then ...to Ft. Delaware, DE. He was released on June 14, 1865 and listed as being 6 ' tall with a sallow complexion, dark hair, and gray eyes. On Dec. 31, 1870 he married Narcissa Jane Cash. Not much is known about his occupation or their life over the years. In his application to the Soldiers’ Home, he stated that he saw action at Winchester, Cross Keys, Port Republic, Cold Harbor, Hazel River, Second Manassas, Harpers Ferry, Sharpsburg, Shepherdstown, Fredericksburg, Suffolk, and Gettysburg. He and his wife applied to the Soldiers Home together on Feb 1912, stating that their children we working for their daily bread and unable to care for them. At that time, Charles was 70 and Narcissa was 58. He died on Nov. 23, 1920. Narcissa left the Home after her husband’s death and lived in Birmingham. She was buried next to her husband after her death on Nov. 29, 1927. Both are buried in Cemetery No. 2. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark

Button pieces and cup found in the yard of Marye’s House, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Marye’s Heights served as headquarters for Gen. James Longstreet and was an impenetrable stronghold against multiple Union assaults during the Battle of Fredericksburg. #AHCsites #confederatememorialpark #museumcollections