Sundays are days when we do something local. Whether it's the art museum, a cemetery, having brunch, or just driving through a cute neighborhood, getting out of the house is a must! On this particular Sunday, I had been doing some genealogical research when I happened upon the Geiger Avenue Cemetery. After further reading, I realized that I had actually visited this cemetery a couple of years back but was not aware of the information I had just read. Of course that meant that I needed to visit the cemetery again and walk every inch of it to fully take it all in.
Geiger Avenue Cemetery is a large green space within a neighborhood located in Cottontown (even though I kept calling it Cottonwood). There is a small monument giving the name and a little information about the cemetery. Geiger Avenue Cemetery is the burial site of Confederate Veterans, a few family members of the Veterans, and individuals who died while in the care of the State Mental Hospital.
The Confederate Soldiers Home was located on the corner of Bull St. and Confederate Ave. Confederate veterans could stay there and later on widows of the veterans could stay at the home. However, the Confederate Soldiers Home closed in the late 1950s and was soon demolished.
The State Hospital was located on Bull Street (many of the buildings are still standing though not all are still in use). Both sites are in close proximity to the cemetery. There is a small brick wall with iron fencing creating a small boxed area in the middle of the cemetery. Within that brick wall are the burial sites of Confederate Veterans and some of their family members. Outside of the brick wall are burial markers indicating a number for the State Hospital patients. It is my understanding that this number indicates a section and within that section are individuals (yes, multiple) buried. It is extremely sad to walk around this cemetery and look down and just see a marker with a number. There are no flowers, no names, only numbers.
Happy Travels,
Amber
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