LAMONT, Mich. -- There’s a nationwide effort to better recognize the soldiers who fought for the Union during the Civil War.
In a small cemetery in Lamont you’ll find the gravesite of John Melvin Park Sr., the last Civil War soldier buried in Ottawa County.
At the age of 16 in 1865, Park fought alongside the Union Army during the final campaign of the Civil War.
After the war, his travels took him to Ottawa County where he met his wife, had a family and was a farmer until his death in 1943.
On Saturday, the Henry E. Plant Camp #3 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War held a dedication at Park's grave site.
"It was a spin-off of our grave registration program that our national organization has, to try and find the graves of all the Civil War veterans and this was the last one buried in Ottawa County," Dan Grable said.
The group placed markers and flags to better identify park’s service and honor his sacrifices.
"To keep green their memory, so people don’t forget what happened to these guys in the civil war and what they did," Grable said.
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War will continue their work next month when they will be dedicating the grave site of a civil war soldier buried in Oceana County.
