Friendship Cemetery - Columbus, Mississippi
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 33° 28.928 W 088° 25.698
16S E 367299 N 3705650
Historic cemetery in Columbus, Mississippi.
Waymark Code: WM7RN2
Location: Mississippi, United States
Date Posted: 11/27/2009
Views: 2
Friendship Cemetery was founded May 30, 1849 and was owed and operated by the Union Lodge No. 35 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The original cemetery was a five acres, over the years the cemetery expanded and by the time the cemetery was deeded to the City of Columbus it had expanded to its current size of 55 acres. The first recorded burial in cemetery was Mary Elizabeth Sinclair who died July 16, 1849. There are several gravestones with earlier dates but these are for people moved to Friendship Cemetery from other cemeteries.
During the Civil War two portions of the cemetery were set aside for burial of Confederate soldiers. The burial book for the cemetery indicates the number of Confederate dead buried in the cemetery to be 2,194, however in 1934 only 1,260 marble markers were installed and only 47 of those were inscribed with names. In 1976, an additional book was found and it indicated an additional 298 soldiers and one nurse, the graves had new markers installed with their names. The remainder of the markers bear the inscription of "Unknown Confederate Soldier."
Both Confederate and Union soldiers who died in the 1862 Battle of Shiloh were buried in Friendship Cemetery. The Union soldiers were moved to national cemeteries after the war.
Friendship Cemetery has been called "Where Flowers Healed A Nation" and the inspiration for poet F.M. Finch's "The Blue and the Gray". when on on April 25, 1866 the ladies of Columbus decided to decorate both Confederate and Union soldiers with garlands and bouquets of beautiful flowers. This day became first to be known as Decoration Day which has evolved into today's Memorial Day.
Included in the more than 16,000 interred in the cemetery are two former Mississippi governors and four Confederate generals.
In 1980 the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
City, Town, or Parish / State / Country: Not listed
Approximate number of graves: Not listed
Cemetery Status: Not listed
Cemetery Website: Not listed
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