[StBernard] Chalmette National Cemetery receives some TLC during Public Lands Day

[Westley Annis]

Chalmette National Cemetery receives some TLC during Public Lands Day

Print Annette Phillips By Annette Phillips 
on October 03, 2014 at 7:41 AM, updated October 03, 2014 at 7:42 AM

"National Public Lands Day is a day for everyone to have an opportunity to
celebrate and support their public lands," Cidney Webster, Supervisor Park
Ranger at Chalmette Battlefield and Cemetery, said.

Webster said the volunteer day was a success. More than 2,000 locations
hosted celebratory and volunteer events. "This past weekend we had nearly 70
volunteers help clean headstones and pull weeds in a three hour time frame,"
Webster said.

There were 50 girls from Girl Scouts of America, between 4 and 16 years old.
Also, employees from Entergy, Chalmette Refining and Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management volunteered their time.

The group cleaned a whole section of headstones and collected about 10 trash
bags full of weeds.

"National Public Lands Day offers an opportunity for residents to be
hands-on park stewards of the parks in their communities," she said. "They
also get a 'behind the scenes' look at some of what it takes to care for
these lands and understand how important and precious they are to us, our
communities, and our nation."

Chalmette National Cemetery is the oldest in-ground cemetery in the New
Orleans area. In 1862 President Lincoln approved legislation establishing
national cemeteries for veterans.

The Chalmette National Cemetery was established in 1864 as a final resting
place for Union soldiers who died in Louisiana during the Civil War. The
15,000 headstones in the cemetery mark the grave-sites of veterans of the
Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, and the Vietnam War.

Interestingly, there are four Americans buried in the cemetery who fought in
the War of 1812, though only one of them took part in the Battle of New
Orleans. The cemetery became part of the National Park Service in 1933, and
joined with the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in 1978.

"Chalmette residents are lucky to have a National Park in its backyard,"
Webster said.

The Chalmette Visitor Center is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m., and they offer a daily ranger talk at 2:30 p.m.

Stay tuned for information on the upcoming Bicentennial of the Battle of New
Orleans reenactment. It will be held January 8-10 on the Chalmette
Battlefield. For more information on events or hours 504. 281.0510.

Annette writes about people, places, and events in Chalmette. Send Chalmette
stories to Annette at chalmettematterstp at gmail.com.