PRESERVATION OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
THE CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE OF GREATER BOSTON d/b/a/ The Civil War Round Tables of Massachusetts,............ in existence since 1957, and a leader in Local, Regional, and National Preservation Efforts...Contact Nicole Delaria, Preservation Chairperson at natnic11@aol.com
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To make DIRECT donations to our Preservation Efforts, go to www.easternbank.com CommunityRoom.Net Link(https://www.communityroom.net/) and find us listed there, and make a donation directly to our accounts that will go to Local Preservation!!!...
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Be one of our Corporate Preservation Partners and support our Local, Regional, or National Preservation Efforts which include our Annual Vintage 19th Centuury Civil War Baseball Game in Waltham, Gravesite Rededication Ceremonies, Awards Dinners, Seminars, and our Donations to help preserve and protect Historic Lands and Properties, Grave Markers, Monuments, and Flagholders for Civil War Veterans, and many, many other Preservation Efforts. As we begin to Remember The Sesquicentennial of The American War, this is even more important to help!
THE CIVIL WAR SESQUICENTENNIAL IS HERE !!!!!
For these next four years, the citizens of Massachusetts and this great Nation, will have the opportunity to give proper remembrance to their young men, women and children who left their homes to protect their beliefs and Preserve The Union.
The Civil War Round Table of Greater Boston, is also
a Commissioner member of
The Massachusetts Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, and will be leading
the way, with The Massachusetts Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission in cities
and towns across this Commonwealth, like Boston, Waltham, Arlington, Framingham,
Medford, Worcester, and many others.
We will be working with Reenactors, Historical Societies, Museums, Veterans and Genealogical Organizations on many Special events. These will include Dinners, Seminars, Reenactments, Women’s History Projects, and Graveside Ceremies to honor our fallen Veterans of all Wars. We will also be working with the cities and towns to celebrate their special dates and citizens in their History.
2016 CIVIL WAR SESQUICENTENNTIAL PRESERVATION FRIENDS and PARTNERS---
RTN Federal Credit Union 600 Main St. Waltham, Ma. 02452
Temple Beth Isreal 25 Harvard St. Waltham, Ma. 02453
The Waltham Historical Society of Waltham, Ma.
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ALWAYS VISIT THESE SITES---
THE CIVIL WAR TRUST-----www.civilwar.org
THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION---http://www.nthp.org
PRESERVATION DIRECTORY---http://www.preservationdirectory.com
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PRESERVATION SITES---
Boston Preservation Alliance............................www.bostonpreservation.org or webmaster@bostonpreservation.org
Civil War Trust...........................www.civilwar.org
Historic New England (old SPNEA)...................www.historicnewengland.org
Massachusetts Historical Commission..............www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc
Massachusetts Humanities...........................................www.masshumanities.org
Mount Auburn Cemetery..............................www.mountauburn.org
National Trust For Historic Preservation.........www.nthp.org
The Preservation Directory.............................www.preservationdirectory.com
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David L. Smith has had some Legislation passed and signed into Law about
Historic Preservation and Desecration of Cemeteries and Historic Sites.....
He has had filed for him by State Representative Thomas Stanley of Waltham, TWO (2) Bills for the past few years....
One was
House Bill #H1606 to make the fines and penalties for any Desecration of a Cemetery or Historic Property and
House Bill #2830 which would allow Taxpayers the right to donate any part of their State Tax Refund to a
new Check off on their return called A Historic For Preservation Fund.
Any or all Revenues from these two (2) Bills would be managed by The Secretary of State's Office as they do
1with six other such Check Off Organizations, BUT DEFINITELY NOT THE GENERAL FUND.
On January 18, 2016, he received a letter from State Senator William Brownsberger telling him that
both of these two Bills were incorporated into four(4) sections The Acts of 2015
and signed into Law by Governor Baker in November 2014 relating to Veterans and Destruction of Grave Markers.....
Chapter 128 of The Acts of 2015...An Act Relative To The False Representation of Military Status
Chapter 129 An Act relative To Grave Markers To Commemorate The Graves Of A Veteran, Police Officer, Or Firefighter
Chapter 130 An act Providing Further Penalties for Intentional Loss Or Damage To A Gravestone Or Other Grave Marker
Chapter 131 An act Relative To The Removal Of Commemorative Flag Holders From The Graves Of Veterans And Certain Police And Fire Personnel
The first would criminalize the practice of falsely representing oneself as a Veteran, Military Personnel,
or a Recipient Of Specific Military Honors, or a recipient Of Of Specific Military Honors To Receive A Tangible Benefit.
The others provide additional Penalties for stealing or selling stolen grave markers.
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MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL LAW, CHAPTER 115, SECTION 9:
http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter115/Section9
CHAPTER 115 VETERANS’ BENEFITS Section 9 Care of Graves of Veterans
Section 9. The mayor of every city and the selectmen of every town shall appoint a resident of such city or town who shall be a veteran as defined in clause Forty-third of section seven of chapter four, as a veterans’ graves officer, for a term to be determined by the appointing authority; provided, however, that said term shall not exceed five years. It shall be the duty of such veterans’ graves officer to cause every veteran’s grave within such city or town to be suitably kept and cared for. Such care shall include the clearing of weeds and other unseemly growth from said graves; the repairing, replacement and general up-keep of fences around said graves; the raising and repairing of sunken grave stones and markers and other similar services that may be necessary to restore and maintain such graves and their surroundings in an orderly condition. If the cost of such care and maintenance is not paid by private persons, or by the trustees of the cemeteries where any such grave is situated, it shall be paid by the city or town; and cities and towns may appropriate money therefor. Money so appropriated may be expended directly by the city or town or paid over to the trustees or manager of any cemetery where any such grave is situated; but the sum so paid over in any year shall not exceed for each grave the sum charged for the annual care and maintenance of like lots in the same cemetery, or, if no such charge is made in that cemetery, it shall not exceed the sum charged in other cemeteries in the same city or town for like services. In cities and towns where there are cemeteries containing the remains of deceased veterans, such cities and towns shall cause to be placed on such veterans’ graves a flag of the United States on every Memorial Day. Upon the approval of the commissioner, compensation for 75 per cent of the cost of such flags, but none of the expenses attending the placement of such flags shall be paid by the commonwealth to the several cities and towns on or before November 10 in the year after such expenditures. In cities and towns where there are cemeteries with mausoleums containing the remains of deceased veterans, each such city or town shall cause to be placed on each mausoleum a suitable plaque with the names of all deceased veterans contained therein, and a flag of the United States shall be suitably placed at each mausoleum on every Memorial day.
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Sunday, September 1, 2013
Grove Hill Cenetery, Main St. Waltham, MA.
On Sunday, September 1, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. in The Grove Hill Cemetery
on Main St. in Waltham was held The Rededication Ceremony of the Gravesite of U.S. Congressman, Governor, and Civil War Major General
Nathaniel P. Banks and six of his Family.
This was a Special Event of The Civil War Round Table of Greater Boston d/b/a The Civil War Round Tables of Massachusetts and
The Massachusetts Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission after its recent Rehabilitation and Cleansing along with the placing of a second Monument at the front of Grove Hill Cemetery noting his site and those of over 100 other Waltham Civvil War Veterans.
Several members of The Mass. Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War as they performed their special Gravesite Ceremony Prayers and Wreath Placing Ceremony, along with their “Vacant Chair Reading”.
Featured in this Rededication was a short presentation about General Banks by Joseph Keefe. Joe is a member of The CWRT of Greater Boston and the Curator of The Waltham Historical Society, who has spoken about Banks and other subjects for years, along with leading Cemetery Tours in Waltham.
Despite the constant rain that was falling, the audience consisted of Wayne McCarthy and Mary Selig, President & Treasurer respectively of The Waltham Historical Society, along with members of the Waltham Museum, and Historical Society of Watertown. Other audience members present were noted Lincoln Historian and Commission Vice-Chairperson Dr. Thomas Turner and local TV Newscaster Jack Williams, himself a longtime Civil War Buff and friend of The CWRT of Greater Boston.
CWRT of Boston President David L. Smith began the Ceremony with the introductions and an explanation of how the funding was secured from their Local Preservation Treasury and The Mass. Sesquicentennial Commission’s Grant Program. He also gave another short part of Banks’ Bio, mostly unknown about his post War work with The Suez Canal and what was called The Banks Bee Brigade, formed in Waltham in 1861 and remained in operation doing Community work in his name until the 1930s.
David also mentioned that he and Joe Keefe and a select few others, believe that Banks is a vastly misunderstood and mislabeled Military General although a local icon in Waltham History. While he was a ‘Political General” and lost a couple of major engagements, he did win some. He also relied on his subordinates a great deal who were Military men.
While not mentioned at this Ceremony, but of importance, is the fact that The Mass. Legislature funded a Statue of Banks after the War and had it placed in front of the Mass. State House. It was given back to Waltham by the turn of the Century and now stands on our City Common. It was replaced with The Joseph Hooker Statue which is still there.
The Mass. Sons of Union Veterans of The Civil War were an intricate part of this event. They performed their official Graveside Ceremony, plus a reading of a Civil War poem titled “The Vacant Chair” which included having a vacant chair there. They also did their official Wreath Placing Ceremony. Many thanks to them for what they did which made this afternoon so much better.
For details and more information, consult www.cwrtgb.com under Preservation of The Civil War or
David L. Smith at 781-647-3332 or cwrtmass@comcast.net
The above photos courtesy of David L. Smith and Joyce Kelly