Cemetery Historical Facts

Historical Facts

• The first person interred in Fairview Cemetery was Harriet D. Morrison, who died in 1882 at the age of 65. She is buried in Block 20, Lot #57 which was originally owned by Dr. Alex Morrison.
• Additional land was obtained by the Denison Cemetery Association from a Mr. Isaac Lindsey on February 20, 1911 for a sum of $4,500.
• Fairview Cemetery obtained a Warranty Deed on April 20, 1925 for the exchange of Lot 4, Section 3, Block 16 and One Dollar to be paid by the City of Denison for the purpose of Sepulture only. A Board of Managers for Fairview and Maple Grove Cemeteries was appointed January 15, 1919 by F.G. Coleman, Mayor of the City of Denison.

The Forgotten Soldier

The monument on the left was originally dedicated to the memory of those Union Veterans of the American Civil War who were members of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.). This organization was comprised of those who served the Federal cause during that most painful time in United States history. With the sponsorship of the Nathaniel Lyon Post #5 of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Woman's Relief Corps (the auxiliary of the G.A.R.), the monument was erected in 1906 by the A.P. Chamberlain Company. The base is manufactured from native limestone, and the statue was probably purchased from one of several manufacturers who produced such images for the G.A.R. during the late 1800's and early 1900's.

It is recorded in the files of Fairview Cemetery that the monument was ceded into perpetual care in 1923, with the fees for such being paid for by one Elizabeth Alexander, a relative of Horace Alexander. It is surmised that Ms. Alexander was the daughter of Brother Alexander, since his wife is buried beside him and is named Anna.

There are six marked graves located beside the monument and reportedly two or three un-marked graves also located within the confines of the stone curb which marks the boundaries of the plot. A search of the cemetery was made to locate as many Union Civil War graves as possible. One grave was found that listed G.A.R. on a more modern monument, and there are more Civil War Veterans buried in the cemetery whose graves do not have the military gravestone furnished by the United States Government.

The Denison G.A.R. Monument is one of only three known monuments to the Union cause within the State of Texas. It is located here because the City of Denison became a railroad center after the Civil War with a considerable number of Union Veterans coming to this locale with the railroad companies. Also, in 1860, there were a total of twenty-eight counties comprising the population centers of the State of Texas. Of these twenty-eight, eighteen voted to leave the Union and join the Confederacy and ten voted to remain in the Union. Eight of these counties, including Grayson, were in North Texas, and two were in the San Antonio region.

This monument was believed to be a Confederate monument for many years by the populace of the Denison area. The G.A.R. on its base was thought to stand for "Great Army of the Rebellion. It was "rediscovered" by members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in the first half of 1996, and brought to the attention of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.