This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
BELLEFONTE — The Daughters of Union Civil War Veterans is hosting its Angels in Union Cemetery Tour at 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 7, and Sunday, Sept. 8. The tour takes participants around Bellefonte’s historic Union Cemetery to learn about the children of Centre County’s influential and founding families who are buried there.
Karen Hazel, registrar for the DUV Tent 62, will lead the tour in her Victorian mourning attire. She encourages the public to join her for a serene walk through Union Cemetery to remember the families and their children who have contributed to the history of the region.
“Our tour will include a brief history of cemeteries and cradle graves, as well as the stories of six local families,” Hazel explained.
Hazel recalled how she and her husband were helping with weeding and gravestone upkeep in Union Cemetery when she came across “these little graves that look like they have a headboard, a footboard and two little sides.” These graves are commonly referred to as cradle graves.
While also used for adults, cradle graves were mostly popular for children from the late 19th century through the early 20th century. The center of the “cradle” is planted with an array of flowers, grasses and bushes to resemble a “blanket” in the cradle.
“So, people would maybe go on a Sunday and have a picnic in the cemetery next to their loved ones’ graves, tend to the graves and they would read with them and plant flowers,” Hazel noted. “They felt like they were having family time closer to their loved one or to their child.”
According to Hazel, the popularity of cradle graves during the Civil War and Victorian era was a result of a higher infant mortality rate caused by ailments such as diphtheria and scarlet fever.
“I thought it would be nice to tell the stories of these children,” Hazel emphasized.
Union Cemetery in Bellefonte is the resting place of many prominent and founding figures and families from Centre County, such as the Beavers, Weavers, Duretts, Pughs and Brachbills. To Hazel, exploring these stories provides a glimpse into the past and the rich history of Centre County.
“They’re just people that contributed to the community,” Hazel remarked. “Maybe they worked in the match factory, maybe they were the local doctor or they owned a local store. It’s to keep the memories alive and share our history and why it’s important.”
Hazel noted that the Angels in Union Cemetery Tour goes hand in hand with the DUV’s mission to honor local history. The DUV is a nonprofit organization founded in Ohio on May 30, 1865, with the goal of uniting daughters, granddaughters, great-granddaughters and all female descendants of Union veterans of the Civil War.
The Pennsylvania department of the DUV was chartered on June 13, 1913, with the Katherine Wilson Curtin Tent 62, located in Boalsburg, chartered on May 30, 2014. The organization also helps in identifying Civil War veterans throughout the county, sends veterans cards for holidays, cleans graves and more.
Those interested in attending the Angels in Union Cemetery Tour on Sunday, July 7, and Sunday, Sept. 8, can RSVP by emailing Karen Hazel at [email protected]. Participants will meet at the flagpole in Bellefonte’s Union Cemetery for the tour.
The tour is free and open to the public, but the DUV will gladly accept donations toward an ongoing project to restore Katherine Curtin’s 1880 dress, which the prominent figure wore alongside her husband, Andrew Gregg Curtin, in Washington, D.C., while he served as Pennsylvania governor during the Civil War. The Curtin family is a well-known name in Bellefonte, with Roland Curtin, Andrew Gregg Curtin’s father, having owned the Eagle Ironworks in the historic Curtin Village.
“We found the gown down in Harrisburg at the National Civil War Museum,” Hazel explained. “We have been restoring it for three years and we’re going to have it finished by December of this year. Our hope is to have the dress available to view at different historical sites throughout the county.”
The Angels in Union Cemetery Tour is not just educational, but also a touching tribute to the past. By keeping these stories alive, the DUV makes sure the legacy of Centre County’s founding families is remembered and honored.
