In Memory of ...

In Memory of .... Andersonville National Historic Site. After the Civil War, people wanted to preserve Civil War sites and remember fallen soldiers. At Andersonville, the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic (LGAR) and the Women's Relief Corps led these efforts. They encouraged states to place monuments in recognition of those who died in Camp Sumter Military Prison. They brought large groups to Andersonville National Cemetery to decorate soldiers' graves with flowers., By the early 1900s, thousands traveled all day by train to Andersonville each year to pay tribute to the soldiers who suffered and died here. The John A. Logan Circle of the LGAR built the Grand Army Memorial Hall or Chapel to shelter the weary travelers. Dedicated on Memorial Day in 1908, the Chapel refuge became a place to honor soldiers buried in the cemetery., In 1936 the U.S. Army and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) remodeled the building. Bricks covered up the granite-like cement blocks. A gabled roof replaced the flat one. Updated again in 1960, the structure you see today conceals remnants of the Chapel , itself a faded but treasured memory.