Wordless Wednesday # 23 - monument
Posted on May 6, 2008 by Kat's Krackerbox
Filed under: Arkansas, Cemeteries, Family, Genealogy, Gosnell, History, Mississippi County, Monuments, Photography, Themes, Wordless Wednesday, flickr | Tagged: Air Base, Arkansas, Blytheville, Cemetery, Gosnell, Headstones, Memorial, Monuments, North, Sawba
Thanks 
I am posting the transcription of the inscription here in comments since it’s suppose to be a “wordless” post.
Inscription on monument reads:
North Sawba Cemetery had its official beginning on the 10th day of October 1875 when a tract of land was given to the New Hope Church of the Methodist Episcopal Church South to be used for a cemetery. This tract of land, which was on high ground, was used for burials years before it officially became a cemetery. Since it was a "free" cemetery people from all areas including Armorel, Huffman, Dell, Blytheville, Yarbro, Gosnell, and even some from Missouri buried their family members and friends here. It is believed North Sawba may contain Civil War casualties from the military action that took place on the Pemiscot Bayou. It is known there are Civil War and World War I veterans buried here.
On the 17th day of April 1942, the War Department authorized the U.S. Army to acquire 2670 acres of land, including North Sawba Cemetery, to establish a twin engine flying field on the Gosnell site. On the 10th day of June 1942, the U.S. Army Air Force Advanced Flying School (T.E.) was activated.
The U.S. Army surveyed, recorded, and made a grid showing the location of each grave and its monuments. There were 339 monuments and numerous markers of metal and other materials, and a total of 1806 pieces were removed and replaced. In 1943, the U.S. Air Field was deactivated and the cemetery ______ to the City of Blythville, Arkansas.
In 1955, the North Sawba Cemetery once again returned to government jurisdiction with the activation of Blytheville Air Force Base, later renamed Eaker Air Base until closure December 1992. Of the 339 monuments and markers of other materials totaling 1806 pieces the U.S. Army listed in 1942, only 26 tombstones remain. It was discovered that the grid to the cemetery was missing and the tombstones had been replaced in no certain order.
There may be as many as 5000 persons buried in North Sawba Cemetery, however, there are no available records before1920. Cobb and Hall Funeral Home records, McHaney Monument records, the Blytheville Courier News newspapers were researched and individuals have given the names of their relatives and friends that they know are buried there. A complete listing will never be accomplished. This monument is dedicated to all persons buried in the North Sawba Cemetery.
Erected 1998
North Sawba Cemetery Committee
Andy Bevill - Chairman
Howard Cameron
Alex “Bo” Daniels
L.D. “Buck” Harris
Gene Huntzicker
interesting piece of information! thanks for sharing.
happy WW
What an interesting subject. Thanks for sharing
I just love old cemeteries. Great monument!
Fascinating! So much history encapsulated here and in that space. All ground is sacred ground, I think.
Very cool!
cool catch for WW! mine’s up too—
Interesting. Bet there’s no such thing as a free cemetery now!
Cemeteries always fascinate me.
Thanks for the explanation as well
Happy www!
history is for us to learn and improve our present actions and future decisions
Oooo… that’s a great history lesson to be learnt. Happy WW!
That’s a nice picture, with a good history to back it up. You never stop learning…
Here is my WW post for today.
Have a great WW day!
Wow, that’s cool! Thanks for telling us what it said (I was about to ask you until I read your first comment!)
Happy WW
Cool post, and a nice piece of history.
That is an interesting history.