Fairmount Cemetery to Honor Vets Nov. 11

Fairmount Cemetery will host a Veterans Day celebration at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at which retired U.S. Army Sgt. Wayne Landis will serve as the keynote speaker.

Hosted by the Friends of Fairmount Cemetery, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the enhancement and beautification of the cemetery at 1120 W. Avenue N, the ceremony will feature Fort Concho bagpiper Christopher Morgan, along with a cannon and Buffalo Soldier re-enactors from the fort; Sons of the Confederate Veterans; the Veterans Council Honor Guard; a presence from Goodfellow Air Force Base; and local dignitaries.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, volunteers will place more than 1,400 American flags on the graves of the veterans buried over the cemetery’s 57 acres. Friends of Fairmount Cemetery is soliciting citizens’ assistance with that effort. For more information, contact Martha Visney at 325-374-7422.

Established in 1893, Fairmount Cemetery is the final resting place for veterans of the Battle of San Jacinto, the Mexican War, the Indian Wars, the Civil War, both world wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Several buffalo soldiers who served at Fort Concho are also buried at Fairmount, a designated Texas Historic Cemetery.

Observed each year on Armistice Day, which marked the end of World War I, Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans.

Improvements

Fairmount Cemetery held a ground breaking ceremony this week to begin construction on their new Columbarium, a structure for the interment of cremated remains.  City officials, Friends of Fairmount members, Fairmount staff and Board members, Chamber staff, and Concho Cadre members (picture above) were all present to participate in the ceremony. This is a new addition to the city's Texas Historic Landmark.