Shelby Springs Confederate Cemetery - Calera, AL - Veteran Cemeteries on Waymarking.com

"The serene, wooded cemetery atop the hill behind the Old Shelby Springs Hotel, used as a Confederate hospital during the Civil War, is officially known as The Shelby Springs Confederate Cemetery, but it was commonly referred to as The Old Soldier’s Graveyard."

"It came into existence as a burial site for some of the soldiers treated at the hospital who succumbed to their wounds and illnesses."

Shelby Springs was originally a resort known for its mineral springs. Shelby Springs was reborn as Camp Winn in 1862, when the resort was taken over by the Confederacy in the Civil War. Initially, the resort was used a recruiting center and training camp. In the latter part of the war, the Confederacy transformed Shelby Springs into a hospital. Several nuns from the Sisters of Mercy were among the staff that managed the hospital. The nuns were originally from Boston, but were sent to Vicksburg, Miss., in 1860 to establish a Catholic school. After the Civil War began, the nuns ministered to sick and injured soldiers at several hospitals in Mississippi before making their way to Shelby Springs. When Shelby Springs was first converted to a hospital in 1863, it was used as a long-term facility to rehabilitate soldiers. By early 1864, however, Shelby Springs was made a general hospital and housed a large staff of medical personnel.

Soldiers aren’t the only people buried in the cemetery. Located on the far end of the property is a community cemetery, where burials for local citizens took place until 1921.

Currently, there are 95 identified soldier’s graves in the cemetery and 212 graves marked with a headstone that reads, “Unknown Soldier, C.S.A.” Sonar testing was used to locate remains beneath the soil and pinpoint actual graves, but determining exactly who is buried in each location is nearly impossible.

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Visiting hours: The cemetery is open 24 hours a day but dawn to dusk is probably more realistic. Website pertaining to the cemetery: [Web Link] Date cemetery was established: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please submit a photo(s) taken by you of your visit to the location (non-copyrighted photos only). GPS photos are also accepted with the location in the background, and old vacation photos are accepted. If you are not able to provide a photo, then please describe your visit or give a story about the visit.

We would also like to hear about any of your deceased family members who may be laid to rest in the cemetery.

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