Off the Beaten Path and into History

By: Janet Kynard, Founder/President It Happens in Alabama 

My husband, Steve, had wanted to take me to Confederate Memorial Park for some time and we finally made it there on Saturday. It was well worth the visit! Confederate Memorial Park is located in Marbury, Alabama, approximately 37 miles north of Montgomery and is the site of Alabama's only Old Soldiers Home for Confederate Veterans. Located on 102 acres of rolling wooded country side, the home was operational from 1902 until 1939 when the Alabama Legislature officially closed the home and buildings were dismantled except the mess hall which lasted until the 1960’s.  At one time, there were 22 buildings which included a 25 bed hospital, mess hall, dairy and cottages. Even back then they had an elaborate water and sewer system.  The home cared for elderly veterans, their wives and widows. 

Confederate Research Library

Left to Right: Commander Gary Carlyle, Vann Royal, Janet Kynard - IHIA,

Division Historian and Past Commander Leonard Wilson

                                                        

We had a wonderful visit at the Confederate Research Library where books are not shelved using the Dewey Decimal System, but are arranged alphabetically by topic.  We were greeted by Leonard Wilson, a past Commander and the Division Historian. You really must go see him! He has so many wonderful stories. I can imagine sitting in an old rocking chair on a porch, sipping sweet tea and listening to his stories all afternoon. I also had the pleasure of meeting Commander Gary Carlyle and Vann Royal, who had just attended the Children’s Christmas program at the Old Marbury Methodist Church, on the grounds.

      
Museum and Gift Shop                                   Bricks from the dismantled buildings  

The Museum had so many displays that we were in there for over an hour! It was very interesting and told the story of the Alabama veteran from recruit to veteran. There were hundreds of artifacts. I don’t know what I expected life in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries to be like but was surprised that the furniture, streamer truck,  bottles and many other items seemed so familiar to me.         

Spencer Carbine

Matthew Brady lantern slide of Gen. Robert E. Lee



                                                    

I found it interesting that so many men returned from the war as amputees and the state of Alabama paid for them to have prosthetics.  Many factors contributed to the high amputee rate, but one of the prime culprits was the soft lead Minie ball.  Minie Balls crushed bones, ripped arteries and tissue beyond repair and doctors often had little choice but to amputate limbs. Looking at the size of the minie balls on display, some as large as .64 caliber, I can see how they would do a lot of damage.  Other interesting facts were 81,000 to 90,000 men from Alabama fought in the war, between the ages of 17 and 45 yrs. Old. 20,000 to 30,000 lost their lives. Of those that died, more died from infection and disease than in battle.

 

  Cemetery One                                                                       Sasanqua Camellia   

When visiting Cemetery One, I was amazed at the number of men who died in February, not all in the same year, but the same month. This has me puzzled. What went on in February? Was it the cold or just a coincidence?

Outside of Cemetery Two, stood one of the most gorgeous Sasanqua Camellias I have ever seen. It was in full bloom. The park is also home to the second largest Poplar tree in Alabama which measures over 175 inches in circumference and is over 105 feet tall.  

 Entrance to Cemetery Two                                               View from Cemetery Two

Cemetery Two was built after Cemetery One was full and contains the graves of 224 veterans, including 15 wives and widows. It was built on the top of a hill and is a very peaceful spot with a great view of the rolling land below. It is as if the soldiers are still keeping watch over Alabama.

There is still so much more to see here and a great walking trail with markers where the 22 buildings once stood. My visit sparked my curiosity about Alabama history and how Alabama played a leading roll in the war.

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