1891 Grand Army of the Republic monument
The 1891 Grand Army of the Republic monument is a limestone obelisk surmounted by an eagle which was erected in 1891 at Oak Hill Cemetery to commemorate Union veterans of the Civil War. Two large adjoining lots (Lots 1 and 8 of Block 15) near the west wall of the cemetery were purchased by the George A. Custer Post No. 1 of the Grand Army of the Republic in June 1889.
The monument itself was dedicated during Confederate Memorial Day observances on April 27, 1891, an event attended by thousands of people who processed from the O'Brien Opera House to the cemetery. The Weekly Age-Herald reported that in addition to the heaps of flowers laid on Confederate graves, "the monument of the G.A.R. was beautifully and profusely decorated by the Confederate veterans."
Benjamin Thayer, a former assistant surgeon with the 77th Missouri Infantry, was the first veteran buried in the G.A.R. plot on June 19 of that year.
The obelisk was damaged by vandals in the 1930s and stood without its eagle until 2019 when the monument was restored by Clark Memorials under the direction of the Major General John T. Croxton Camp No. 17, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW). The project was funded by the national organization, which is the successor to the Grand Army of the Republic.
The re-dedication ceremony was held on May 19, 2019.
Burials
- Henry Austin (August 2, 1839-March 10, 1935)
- J. A. Bolin (c. 1939-September 12, 1899)
- Benjamin Thayer (April 21, 1831-June 1891)
References
- "Memorial Day" (April 29, 1891) The Weekly Age-Herald - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
- Hicks, Terri L. (2013) "Oak Hill Cemetery: A Reflection of Early Birmingham, 1871-1913". Unpublished master's thesis. University of Alabama at Birmingham.
- Songer, Joe (May 17, 2019) "Sons of Union Veterans-Civil War will rededicate monument at Oak Hill Cemetery Sunday." The Birmingham News