A Fitting Final Resting Place

The Jones Library

The Jones Library Building & Facilities Committee this morning voted unanimously to request the Board of Trustees at their June 4th meeting adopt the town owned Civil War tablets and install them in the library as part of the upcoming renovation/expansion project.

Amherst Town Meeting approved $65,000 in Community Preservation Act money in 2009 to have the six large marble tablets professionally cleaned, lettering restored and then crated for safe storage and transport.

Originally the town wished to display them in Town Hall but found the flooring was not strong enough to support the weight of the tablets;  and building climate controlled weather proof cases for outside would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

   Civil War Tablets Restored

Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek attended the meeting this morning confirming the town was "still very committed to putting them on display, and using the Jones Library makes all the sense in the world."

He went on to say a simple Memo of Understanding could be drawn up maintaining town ownership of the tablets but giving the Jones Library "permanent loan."

The funding for installation could come from the state renovation grant, which would cover half the cost, or if that is not an allowable expense the town would apply for Community Preservation Act money.

The Jones Library is now in active discussion with the Strong House aka Amherst History Museum next door for purchase of land to facilitate their proposed expansion.   But this commitment to display the Civil War tablets is NOT dependent on that deal coming to fruition. 

Stirring news for this Memorial Day weekend.

"Sacred Dead" tablet with names of all 57 Amherst residents who gave their "last measure of devotion."

"From These Honored Dead ..."

 Area behind car will become final resting place for six Civil War tablets

The ground in front of Amherst Town Hall will go from simply historic to hallowed as a Request For Proposals has been issued to display the six "Sacred Dead" Civil War tablets commemorating all 300 or so Amherst men who served in that decimating conflict.

The Grand Army of the Republic donated the tablets to Amherst in 1893.

List of 57 Amherst men who died to preserve the Union

For many years they were displayed in Town Hall but then in the early 1960s during a renovation project they were placed in storage and forgotten until just before 9/11.

As with so many things in life it took the efforts of one concernced citizen, Dudley Bridges, a proud, black, WW2 veteran, to spark a movement to restore the tablets to a place of honor.  Unfortunatley Mr. Bridges died in 2004 at age 80 and is now buried in historic West Cemetary.

According to Planning Director Jonathan Tucker:

 "The RFP asks the Consultant chosen to work with the Town to: 1) create designs for the site, the display enclosures, signs and interpretive materials, and lighting, 2) take the designs to bid specifications, 3) develop a method for safely transporting and installing the tablets, and 4) develop cost estimates for the whole shebang." 

Town Manager John Musante had envisioned them being installed in the Town Room, our seat of government, where the Select Board and other important committees meet. But the tablets are too heavy for the floor and would require expensive reinforement.

The location outside the building gives the tablets much greater visibility at all hours of day, 365 days a year. Even more fitting, that ground was once the location of a WW2 "Roll Of Honor" structure erected during that tumultious time in our history. 

Roll of Honor outside Amherst Town Hall 1942 Lincoln Barnes photo

I'm sure Dudley James Bridges would approve.  Hoo-Ah!

A patriotic Town Hall, September 1942

Remembering Those Who Served

Amherst's "Sacred Dead Tablets" (before the renovation)

Too many of our men and women have laid down their lives in service to our country in far flung wars across the globe.  We remember them on Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and perhaps -- in Massachusetts anyway -- Patriots Day.  Or 9/11.

The Civil War was distinctly different.  That terrible conflict produced America's greatest loss of life because each side engaged in battle were the good guys, fighting on home turf.  Americans killing Americans.

On many, many days it was more like a slaughter. 

Amherst men answered the call to "defend the Union."  Over three hundred of them, including 21 African-Americans.  In all, 57 perished.

All of those who served in "The War of the Rebellion" are remembered -- their names etched in stone on the Sacred Dead Tablets.  Four years ago Amherst Town Meeting appropriated $45,000 out of Community Preservation Act funds to have all six tablets restored.

Today State Senator Stan Rosenberg announced the town won a $5,000 MA Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission matching grant, which will cover interpretive signage relating to the tablets when they go on display at Town Hall, in the Town Room -- our seat of government.

For which it stands

Over 150 citizens gathered to remember the Civil War service of 5 black Amherst residents

For the second late summer Sunday in a row Amherst hosted a rare solemn ceremony to remember war, something the outspoken town does rather routinely, but usually from only one perspective: anti war.

Last week we honored, remembered and cried for 3,000 Americans slaughtered ten years earlier in a two-hour killing spree unprecedented in our history--especially since civilians comprised over 90% of the casualties.

Today we gathered to remember and honor five black soldiers from Amherst who fought in the Civil War, another unprecedented event in our history--the costliest conflict ever when measured in American casualties.

The five veterans are all buried in West Cemetery, where its most famous occupant, Emily Dickinson, tends to overshadow all the other deserving souls buried there. Not today however.

Raymond Brooks, a Native American, and great-great grandson of Christopher Thompson

Bob Romer, Veterans Agent Steven Connor, Reynolds Winslow, Dave Ziomek

Charles Thompson: upstanding citizen of Amherst and the USA

Amherst's "Sacred Dead Tablets" in storage

Glory, glory

Amherst's "Sacred Dead Tablets" in storage

So as Civil War battles go the losses at Fort Wagner (under 1700 total with 90% of them Union attackers) were relatively minor; like the damage done to the Empire of Japan’s capital city of Tokyo by Doolittle’s B-25 bombers only four months after Pearl Harbor.

But they both made history because of a far greater symbolic meaning. And as such should always be remembered.

The ill-fated attack on Fort Wagner led by the 54'th Massachusetts Volunteers dispelled the notion that black soldiers couldn’t (or wouldn’t) fight. And the daring air raid on Tokyo sent a message to Japan early on: you messed with wrong country.

Amherst Town Meeting will take up the issue of restoring the Civil War tablets and placing them back in Amherst Town Hall where they were proudly displayed back in the early 1900’s. Two members of the Community Preservation Committee issued a minority report suggesting the total cost to clean all six and display two tablets at $65,000 is $20,000 too high.

Hmmm…Amherst spent almost $300,000 to preserve the Kimball House in North Amherst (now dwarfed by the aircraft carrier sized house behind it) but we can’t spend one-quarter of that to restore and display these donated tablets to honor locals who served--especially those who gave their "last measure of devotion"?

West Springfield City Hall

The Kimball House in North Amherst