By Mickey Tibbits
Special to The Free Press
ELYSIAN
May 23, 2008 01:12 am
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The name in part explains why people in Elysian still gather each Memorial Day and march to the cemetery, honoring all those who have worn the nation’s uniform and paying respects to their departed loved ones.
There are 150 fallen soldiers buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery, including two soldiers from the War of 1812, one from the Mexican War and 59 from the Civil War.
No one knows when the march in their honor to the cemetery first started in this town, named for the mythical Elysian Fields.
Locals who still participate each Memorial Day only know the walk they joined as youngsters has been an Elysian ritual for a long, long time. A photo from the county’s historical society provides evidence, based on the buildings and people’s clothing, that the procession from town’s main street to Cedar Hill Cemetery dates back to about 1900.
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Photos
The grave of Isaac Jordon, one of two War of 1812 veterans buried at the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Elysian, was marked with an American flag by American Legion member Chester Hrdlicka of Elysian in observance of the community’s Memorial Day celebration. John Cross