Ripley Cemetery honors military burial sites with purchase of flagpoles, flags

RIPLEY, Ill. — Members of the Cemetery Board of the Ripley Cemetery have successfully met their goal of honoring military veterans who have been buried in the little cemetery that sits along U.S. 24 on the south side of Ripley.

The Memorial Day service was the target date for the first time that each veteran burial site would be recognized with a military flag holder and a new United States flag.

The committee purchased flag holders and flags for approximately 125 known military graves with a dozen extras in storage for future use with monetary donations from the public. Two larger donations made it possible to reach this goal faster than originally expected, and they were in place for Memorial Day services this spring.  

The percentage of military graves found in the Ripley Cemetery is right at 10 percent of the total number of graves. Starting with the grave of a veteran from the War of 1812, and many graves of Civil War veterans, the numbers have continued through the years. The casualties of wars are represented in this small country cemetery up through the Persian Gulf War. One of the two recent Brown County servicemen who died in the Vietnam War, John Walter Scott, is buried there. Several Brown County families have members from different generations who have served in different wars and are buried within this cemetery.  

The Board of the Ripley Cemetery recently received donations to buy 10 flagpoles and flags that recently were erected, encircling the western edge of the cemetery.  Each flag is sponsored by families represented within the cemetery.

Having no other regular income sources other than donations, the Cemetery Board appreciates any donations to help maintain the cemetery of approximately 1,100 gravesites. Donations can be mailed to Marianne Edlin, 15545 Town Branch Road, Rushville, Ill., 62681.