Melrose Cemetery Association
The Melrose Veterans Monument committee is offering an opportunity to purchase etched bricks honoring or memorializing loved ones who have served in honor of their country.
The pavers will be located along the side of the WALK OF HONOR, that leads to the memorial monument section of the cemetery.
The brick consists of 3 lines of 18 characters per line. Please note that a character is each letter, space or form of punctuation used.
Article from Bradford County Telegraph:
| Melrose Cemetery Veteran's Memorial now in place |
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A 5,000 pound monument and its 3,000 pound base have been delivered to Eliam Cemetery in Melrose. The granite stone have been placed to honor all veterans of all services, but especially those from Melrose who served in America's wars
According to a committee put together to design, fund and install the monument, the memorial's design complements old family stones in the rest of the cemetery located near the center of Melrose.
The veteran's monument was crafted at O.T. Davis Monuments in Gainesville. Workmen positioned the granite stone into place Tuesday morning with the help of a skillful crane operator.
An official celebration on Monday, May 28 at 10 a.m. will culminate a year of hard work by numerous volunteers. Navy veteran and Director of Florida Veterans Affairs Carlos Rainwater will speak. The ceremony will also feature a Navy band from Jacksonville, bagpipers and a release of doves.
The cemetery is the resting place of veterans from the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II and the Korean War for a total of 347 veterans.
Mrs Thelma Dampier and Mrs Reda LaNinfa have worked to find and plant red, white and blue flowers. They also got a 200-foot sidewalk built across the front of the cemetery and oversaw a brick patio where the monument will stand.
Engraved 4- by 8-inch bricks are available for $50 each. The revenue from the project will help cover costs of the monument. Each brick will be etched with an honoree's information and will join others, lining the walk of honor that leads to the new monument.
"I am so proud of this," LaNinfa said on Tuesday morning as she watched the stone being lifted into the air. "But it was a lot of work," she added.
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| ©Bradford County Telegraph 2007 |
