By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
There are fallen trees that must be removed from the grounds. Some of the old headstones have broken in half and may be too badly damaged to be restored.
In another sad scene, there is a grave containing the remains of nine anonymous black sailors whose bodies washed up on a Lower Township beach after their ship sank in 1850.
“They don’t even have a name. It’s kind of like our Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” Patti Lloyd said of the unidentified sailors.
All of this is part of the heartbreaking setting at the Union Bethel Civil War Veterans Cemetery in Erma, the final resting place for black Civil War veterans and relatives of the first black families in Lower Township.
Neglected for years, the cemetery has now been “adopted” by members of Sea Isle City’s VFW Post 1963 Auxiliary as part of efforts to restore the graves in honor of those who are buried there.
“We decided that they’re veterans and that they deserve our attention, too. Our mission is to support all veterans,” said Lloyd, president of the Post 1963 Auxiliary.
After learning that the grounds of the cemetery had fallen into disrepair, members of the Post 1963 Auxiliary began maintaining the site and plan to adorn the graves with wreaths, flowers and flags.
The Auxiliary members will collaborate with other organizations that have been working in recent years to maintain the cemetery, including the Lower Township Historic Preservation Commission and the Lower Cape May Regional Builders Club, which is an arm of the Cape May Kiwanis Club, according to a news release.
“We want to make this a nice place to visit, especially for the veterans buried there,” Lloyd said in an interview Wednesday.
Lloyd, who is married to Post 1963’s commander, Mark Lloyd, stressed that the Auxiliary has no plans to take charge of the cemetery off Tabernacle Road from Lower Township.
Rather, the plan is for the Auxiliary to work with volunteers from other groups to help keep the grounds in good condition in tribute to the deceased veterans.
Lloyd noted that Paul Shulte at the Lower Cape May Regional Builders Club has been among those who have been extremely helpful.
“Paul Shulte has helped me graciously,” she said.
Volunteers will also ensure that the graves are properly adorned during certain holidays, the news release stated.
Flags will be placed on the graves during Flag Day and Veterans Day. The veterans will also be remembered in December with Christmas wreaths during the “Wreaths Across America” commemoration.
It was at the Wreaths Across America remembrance last December at the Cape May County Veterans Cemetery that members of Post 1963 and its Auxiliary learned of the Union Bethel Civil War Veterans Cemetery.
“We wanted to make sure that the graves get wreaths and flags. It just blossomed from there and we said, ‘Let’s adopt it,’” Lloyd said of the Auxiliary’s commitment to the Bethel cemetery.
Lloyd said the cemetery dates to 1834 and has 75 graves. Of those, 22 or 23 contain the remains of Civil War veterans.
“It was amazing to be there and walk around and see those old headstones,” Lloyd said.
The most touching scene for Lloyd was seeing the grave in front of the cemetery containing the remains of the nine unidentified black sailors.
Much work must be done to maintain the cemetery, she pointed out. Volunteers will be out from time to time to clean up the grounds, including removing the fallen trees.
“Unfortunately, with some of the storms that came in lately, some trees are down and some grave markers are broken in half,” Lloyd said.
Some of the old headstones may be too badly damaged to be restored, but one volunteer has been working with the Lower Township Historic Preservation Commission on a way to repair them, she noted.
Lloyd emphasized that above all else, the goal is to make sure that “these veterans are not forgotten.”
To learn more about the VFW Post 1963 Auxiliary, go to https://vfwauxiliary1963.com/ or email pattios@outlook.com
