Times civil war package narrative

Times Investigative Editor Marc Chase and reporter Joyce Russell began working on articles for the Times in April. Chase traversed six of the region's oldest cemeteries, identifying the headstones of likely Civil War veterans by the dates during which they lived or by special government-issued headstones. Northwest Indiana lacks the commemorative battlefields of many southern and eastern states, but the area contributed hundreds of men to the union cause who are now buried in the region.

Chase would use the names discovered on the headstones to track down soldier and regimental service records and histories. Dates of death and county death indexes allowed Chase to dig into century-old obituaries to learn more about the people themselves. The work sparked a four-day initial series, complete with a double-truck presentation of headstones, online slideshows of the headstones with embedded biographical information of each soldier, compelling narrative stories of the region's Civil War contributions and Web video of Civil War descendants and reenactment groups who were working to keep history alive.

But beyond the stories Chase and Russell were able to tell was a sad reality. During the project, Chase noted that many of the 100-plus-year-old government headstones were made from marble, a softer stone that falls victim to erosion by the forces of severe weather and acid rain. Dozens of men who served in perhaps the most pivotal war of our nation's history were being lost to history as their stones crumbled and faded. The final monuments to their names - to their brave deeds and very existence - were being wiped away by the forces of nature. The Times was getting the privilege of telling the stories of these men, and Chase felt a strong need to do something to help preserve their memories.

A discussion Chase had during the course of the project with members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War revealed a possible solution. In 2005, the Sons, a fraternal group of Civil War veteran descendants, had applied for and received about a dozen new granite headstones from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Those stones were for a Grand Army of the Republic burial plot in Valparaiso. But the Sons cautioned Chase about the difficulty of tackling such a project. Someone would need to find a private company willing to accept delivery of the stones to sign off on the applications. The cooperation of proprietors from each of the affected cemeteries across both counties involved would be needed to authorize placement of any new stones. And then there was the obstacle of finding the manpower and expertise for the actual stone setting - at little or no cost.

After the initial series ran in April, Chase began hitting the phones, contacting the proprietors of the six cemeteries visited during our reporting. Chase also contacted Ziese & Sons Excavating in Crown Point and found the owner, Ken Ziese, to be a willing history buff ready to entertain thoughts of pro bono work. During the reporting process, Chase met descendants of two of the veterans whose headstones were withering away. He called them to the table as well.

A cemetery expert from the Indiana Historical Society and Department of Natural Resources also agreed to join the headstone preservation discussions. By the time Chase convened first group meeting in May, 10 people representing cemeteries, historical groups and municipalities from both Lake and Porter counties were ready and willing to tackle a headstone replacement project. Chase pledged to identify worn, broken or missing headstones and to research and pull documentation of the veterans' service records - all needed for the applications. Chase also pledged to handle all paperwork for the applications. Ziese & Sons agreed to accept delivery of the stones, transport them to the various cemeteries and to help install the markers. All of the cemetery proprietors agreed to help in providing essential vital records and to grant approval for installation of the markers.

Four months later, the project is producing results beyond the group's expectations. The Calumet Region Civil War Preservation Project, as the partnership is now known, has obtained 29 new granite headstones for region Civil War veterans, many of whom rest in graves marked by illegible or broken markers and one that lacks any marker at all. The harder granite will last for many more generations than the original marble. In addition to the first 29 markers, 11 more applications are pending with the VA, and the first nine headstones had been installed at region grave sites. The group plans to extend its efforts into next year, as well. Since beginning the effort, proprietors of two more cemeteries have joined the effort, and the group now has secured new grave stones for eight cemeteries across the two counties.

Under Chase's leadership, the group also organized a public fund drive to raise money for the placement of commemorative Grand Army of the Republic medallions at the grave sites of region Civil War veterans. The medallions allowed for the marking of graves that were not eligible for new headstones. To date, notices in The Times have garnered enough donations for the placement of 120 G.A.R. medallions. As a component of the project, Chase helped organize a special July 2 ceremony to place one of the medallions at the Crown Point grave site of Col. John Wheeler. A prominent citizen of our region, Wheeler died on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The ceremony included speeches from historical society officials and the presentation of a military flag to Wheeler's descendants by Congressman Pete Visclosky, who flew in from Washington for the ceremony. The family donated the flag to the colonel's namesake middle school.