Blue Star Memorial Highway, Marietta GA - Georgia Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Text reads:

BLUE STAR MEMORIAL HIGHWAY

A tribute to the Armed Forces
that have defended the
United States of America

SPONSORED BY
Laurel District, Garden Clubs of Georgia, Inc.
IN COOPERATION WITH
Garden Clubs of the Marietta Garden Council
AND
Veterans of Foreign Wars

This Blue Star Marker was placed by the Laurel District of the Garden Clubs of Georgia Inc. in cooperation with Garden Clubs of the Marietta Garden Council and the VFW. The marker is next to the Marietta National Cemetery. In City of Marietta during the Civil War, forces under the command of General William Tecumseh Sherman moved in and occupied the town. For the next five months, federal troops held the city under siege. In November 1854, troops commanded by Union General Hugh Kilpatrick set the town on fire before embarking on their infamous “March to the Sea.” Originally known as the “Marietta and Atlanta National Cemetery,” the Marietta National Cemetery was established in 1866 to provide a suitable resting place for the nearly 10,000 Union dead from Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign. Henry Cole, a local merchant who remained loyal to the Union throughout the war, offered land for a burial ground for both Union and Confederate dead. His hope was that by honoring those who had fallen together, others might learn to live in peace. Unfortunately, both sides clung to their bitterness and neither North nor South would accept Cole’s offer toward reconciliation. When this effort failed, 24 acres were offered to General George H. Thomas for use of a national cemetery. In 1867 a second offer of land by Cole was accepted and a subsequent purchase of additional acreage in 1870 brought the cemetery to its present size of a little over 23 acres. The cemetery site was, at one time, the proposed location of the capital of the Confederate States of America.
Listed on the Georgia Historical MArkers Page
(visit link)

Type of Marker: Highway Marker #: Not listed Date: Not listed Sponsor: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, yourself at the marker, your gps at the marker, or anything specific to the text on the marker. And don't forget to enjoy your visit.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   07/24/2008 Thorny1 visited it 08/29/2007 Lat34North visited it 08/29/2007 GA Cacher visited it

View all visits/logs