A Civil War Cemetery

I love history, and since I’m in Virginia for a few days, I thought I’d try to find some history from our country’s civil war. I found a few cemeteries nearby on the map, so I thought I’d try to explore one.

The one I chose is called The Lyons Family Civil War Era Cemetery, and as far as I can tell, is maintained as part of the Northern Virginia Regional Parks.

It makes me sad, and it’s difficult for me to understand how we could have been at war with each other. It’s difficult to believe we could get to a point where we would have to fight each other to solve a problem, or to maintain the union of our country. All war is horrible, but war within the same country, between families and friends, is hard to imagine.

Today, this cemetery is surrounded by a golf course and highways. As I walked through the golf course to the spot where the cemetery is, I saw a low stone wall surrounding several grave markers. It was overgrown and in need of maintenance.

I solemnly walked through this old cemetery and thought about the people buried here. Taking photographs, I was thinking about how people walk by here every day, not even paying attention to this little plot of land, and the lives represented here. As I look at the old stones, I find myself wondering, “What were they like?” Here are a few of my photos.

As I said before, I love history, and I always enjoy seeing photos from all around the world. Thank you to all of my photographer friends for sharing the history of the places where you live through your photographs.