Cemetery Monuments in Texas

• Many Texas cemetery monuments remember lost soldiers.grave stone closeup image by Elly from Fotolia.com
  
  Cemeteries of the Lone Star State host a number of monuments, from recently erected memorials in honor of lost countrymen to historical statues commemorating Civil War soldiers. Appearing in state cemeteries and small-town graveyards, these monuments offer Texans and travelers opportunities to reflect on America's history and to honor those who have passed.
  
  

Medal of Honor Monument

• The Texas State Cemetery in Austin includes several monuments, most with a focus on honoring those who have served in the U.S. military. Perhaps the most striking of this group of memorials is the cemetery's Medal of Honor Monument. Dedicated in 1999, this memorial remembers 83 native and adopted Texans who earned the Medal of Honor, the highest award given in the United States. Constructed of pink granite, this smooth obelisk overlooks the cemetery's military section. Monuments dedicated to the Texas Gold Star Mothers, Texas Purple Heart recipients and World War I veterans surround the central Medal of Honor Memorial.
  
  Texas State Cemetery
  909 Navasota St.
  Austin, TX 78702
  512-463-0605
  cemetery.state.tx.us
  
  

The Union Soldier Statue

• Located in Fairview Cemetery in Denison, Texas, this statue was commissioned by veterans of the Civil War's Union Army, who had formed a Denison chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic. This statue of a Union soldier overlooks the graves of six former Union troops and stands, as per its inscription, "in memory of the loyal soldiers and sailors." TexasEscapes.com notes that this figure is the only true monument to a group of Union soldiers in the state. At a similar monument across the state in Comfort, Texas, visitors will find the "Treue Der Union" ("True to the Union," in German) obelisk in the Bushdale Cemetery. This statue of a Union officer's torso commemorates a group of ill-fated German immigrants who refused to join the Confederacy, instead allying themselves with the Union.
  
  Fairview Cemetery
  1501 Hwy. 91
  Denison, TX 75020
  903-465-3188
  
  

9/11 Monument

• Also standing in Austin's Texas State Cemetery, this monument honors all the Texans who died during the September 11, 2001, attacks on American soil, as well as those who gave their lives during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Unveiled on the two-year anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2003, this monument was designed by O'Connell, Robertson and Associates of Austin and was chosen to represent the memorial by the Governor's Office and the Texas State Cemetery Committee. A sweeping semi-circle of stone, which starts near ground level and slopes skyward, surrounds this monument's centerpiece--two original steel columns recovered from the remains of the World Trade Center. According to Texas State Cemetery's website, these columns exist intact and unchanged since their recovery. Texas State Cemetery encourages visitors to get hands-on and explore these columns, remembering the fallen countrymen and women they honor.
  
  Texas State Cemetery
  909 Navasota St.
  Austin, TX 78702
  512-463-0605
  cemetery.state.tx.us