Who knew?
My uncle who passed last year is buried in an old Military cemetery in Sackets Harbor, NY. Sackets, as we call it, is 10 minutes due west of my town. It is a tiny village and a big tourist draw, one being that it lies right on the shore of Lake Ontario, and second because it was the sight of a big battle between Britain and the U S during the war of 1812. The battle is re-enacted every year, and the original military installation, Madison Barracks, still stands (they are apartment houses now).
Madison Barracks Lookout Tower.
Some folks dressed for the Battle of Sackets Harbor re-enactment.
The cemetery was started as a burial ground for soldiers killed in the War of 1812, and it has since been used as a burial ground for anyone who served in the military. My uncle is buried there, he served 7 years in the Army. My stepfather is also there, he served 22 years in the Air Force.
A recent visit to my uncle's grave led me to look intently at some of the older headstones in the cemetery. One name I noticed was that of a Zebulon Pike. We Americans learn about a Zebulon Pike in grade school, a western explorer, who discovered a mountain that was named after him. At first I thought how odd that someone local would have the same exact name. It couldn't be the same Pike we learned about in grade school, since I have never heard of him having any ties to this area.
To my surprise, I discover that the Pike buried in this cemetery and Pike the explorer are one and the same. Fascinating. To me, of course. There are a lot of famous people buried here, but it's always interesting when a new name pops up.
So, as I said, who knew?
Madison Barracks Lookout Tower.
Some folks dressed for the Battle of Sackets Harbor re-enactment.
The cemetery was started as a burial ground for soldiers killed in the War of 1812, and it has since been used as a burial ground for anyone who served in the military. My uncle is buried there, he served 7 years in the Army. My stepfather is also there, he served 22 years in the Air Force.
A recent visit to my uncle's grave led me to look intently at some of the older headstones in the cemetery. One name I noticed was that of a Zebulon Pike. We Americans learn about a Zebulon Pike in grade school, a western explorer, who discovered a mountain that was named after him. At first I thought how odd that someone local would have the same exact name. It couldn't be the same Pike we learned about in grade school, since I have never heard of him having any ties to this area.
To my surprise, I discover that the Pike buried in this cemetery and Pike the explorer are one and the same. Fascinating. To me, of course. There are a lot of famous people buried here, but it's always interesting when a new name pops up.
So, as I said, who knew?