At the Corner of Limekiln Pike and Haines Street in a North Philadelphia neighborhood stands the entrance to an amazing repository of American History. As you pass through the gates you are struck by the sense that you are on hallowed ground. Row after regimented row of identical, white granite tombstones stretch out before you. The grounds are meticulously maintained – hardly a leaf out of place even in autumn, the grass surrounding the stones perfectly manicured at all times.
WWRiders and Buffalo Soldiers MC members track down 66 Buffalo Soldiers graves in the Philadelphia National Veterans Cemetery - Photo by Kat Fialkowski
Thirteen thousand veterans and family members are at rest under that tranquil scene – vets from every war in every era from the War of 1812 to Vietnam , filling the cemetery to capacity. Built in 1862 (the first remains were moved there from other scattered burial locations around Philadelphia), the Philadelphia National Veterans Cemetery is filled to capacity and long since closed to new interments. There are few if any living family members left to visit these graves.
The Philadelphia National Veterans Cemetery was also one of very few cemeteries that rebelled against the strict segregation of that day and age. Black veterans have been buried there since it was opened, albeit with most in the same section. Segregation was the rule in 19 th century Philadelphia , despite that s ince the American Civil War, black American soldiers have fought and died for the nation that segregated them. Most of the grave stones bear the mark “US CLD TRP” or US CLD INF,” for “US Colored Troop” or “US Colored Infantry.”
In 1876 African-American businessman Henry Jones died. Jones owned a fully paid lot in the Mount Moriah Cemetery , but when the funeral procession reached the gates of this Philadelphia Cemetery , they were blocked and refused entrance. This segregation changed only gradually during the 20 th Century, with many Philadelphia Cemeteries gradually opening the gates to blacks. (Jones' relatives filed suit against the cemetery, and eventually the Supreme Court confirmed Jones's right to be buried in Mount Moriah .)
Philadelphia National Veterans Cemetery - photo by Kat Fialkowski
The segregation in the 1800s is all the more disturbing when you consider the many heroic contributions that black soldiers made to the freedom of the United States , fighting and dying in American wars. When the civil war ended, Congress formed two regiments of black cavalry with the designations 9th and 10th U.S. Cavalry and four regiments of black infantry - the 38th, 39th, 40th and 41st Colored Infantry Regiments. History has recorded the heroism of those Cavalry units that collectively came to be known as the Buffalo Soldiers.
Fast-forward to 21 st Century Philadelphia , Memorial Day 2010. The Warriors' Watch Riders are celebrating Memorial Day weekend with events and Welcome Home escorts to honor all of those who have lost their lives in all wars, past and present. Listening to a radio news report (KYW News Radio, AM1060) I learned that despite the many events and honors taking place all across the region, the Philadelphia National Vets Cemetery had no visitors and no flags placed at the graves. That struck me as just-plain-wrong.
I did a little research and learned that this cemetery is a valuable repository of not only human remains, but of rich American history. There is a Mexican War Monument , a marble obelisk that was erected in honor of 38 men who served and died in that war. (Those men had been moved from their original graves in Glenwood Cemetery and re-interred here in 1927.)
There is a Revolutionary War monument, erected in 1911.
The Grand Gazeebo examines the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors monument - photo by Kat Fialkowski
And there is a Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument , installed by the United States in 1911. This is a granite monument that honors 184 Confederate Soldiers and Sailors whose remains were re-interred there from other locations after the Civil War. In the middle of the sea of white granite stones is a rectangle of grass, just behind the memorial. There are buried the remains of 184 Confederates. The graves are not marked, because they couldn't be identified, but the names are all listed on three sides of the monument.
Adding to the rich history of this place are the graves of two medal of honor recipients, and …. Here is what grabbed my attention … 66 Buffalo Soldiers .
The Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club is named for those black Cavalry troops. Members of today's Buffalo Soldiers MC are mostly veterans, active-duty police officers and retired police officers. They exist not just for social riding, but have a more noble purpose. They wish to provide positive role models for the public, for youth, by their example.
From their website ( www.buffalosoldiersmc.net ); “ We ride with pride to tell the story of the heroic efforts of the Original Buffalo Soldiers, the proud men and woman of the Ninth and Tenth Calvary of the United States Army and to instill that pride in today's youth. ”
When it came time to plan the annual Warriors' Watch December Wreath Ride (click here to see a past ride report) it seemed like a no-brainer that we should begin this year's ride at the Philadelphia National Veterans Cemetery . We cannot, of course, cover all 13,000 graves, but we decided that we could place wreaths to honor the 66 Buffalo Soldiers buried there. And this year, we decided we would invite some guests to ride with the Warriors' Watch, so T, our National Coordinator, contacted the Philadelphia chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle club.
National Coordinator "T" checks off a located grave - Photo by Kat Fialkowski
The Buffalo soldiers invited me, T and Huggy (PA State Coordinator for WWR) to their monthly membership meeting to present our idea. They were not just receptive; they were very enthusiastic about the prospect of a joint ride.
Together we spent weeks researching the locations of the graves of the 66 Buffalo Soldiers. They are not all in the same place, and finding them took some time. “Trai” from the Buffalo Soldier's MC did most of the legwork, spending days in the cemetery and obtaining lists of interred veterans. Finally on the Saturday before the ride, we all went there and marked the 66 graves with American Flags, so that the wreath-placers will be able to find them quickly on the day of the ride.
On Saturday, December 11, the Warriors' Watch Riders of SEPA, in partnership with the Buffalo Soldiers MC, will begin our annual Wreath Ride at the Philadelphia National Veterans Cemetery , where we will honor the lives and service of 66 Buffalo Soldiers from the Civil War era. Anyone who wishes to join us is encouraged to do so. We expect to have a long convoy riding from point to point, and while it will be logistically challenging, we welcome the challenge.
Halfway through the ride this weekend, we will take a lunch-and-warmup break thanks to the hospitality of Brian's Harley-Davidson Dealer in Langhorne, and later in the afternoon the ride will end at the Garden of Reflection memorial to the victims of 9/11 in Bucks County . Following this article is the complete itinerary – an all-day ride.
The PRIMARY RALLY point will be
Cheltenham Mall - by Conway Store, ( Washington Lane Side of Mall) 2385 West Cheltenham Ave. , Philadelphia Pa 19150
RALLY TIME 0800
DEPARTURE TIME 0815
1ST Stop- Philadelphia National Cemetery
We'll start the day laying 66 wreaths on the graves of Buffalo Soldiers and 2 Medal of honor recipients at the Phila cemetery.
2ND Stop-Resssurec1ST Stop- Philadelphia National Cemetery
We'll start the day laying 66 wreaths on the graves of Buffalo Soldiers and 2 Medal of honor recipients at the Phila cemetery.
2ND Stop-Resurrection cemetery in Bensalem Pa . At Resurrection , we'll honor several Philadelphia Police officers , Middletown Officer Chris Jones and 2 fathers of WWR members.
3RD Stop-Langhorne Pa. There are 166 Revolutionary Soldiers buried in a mass grave in the middle of Langhorne where we'll lay 1 wreath at the flagpole. The Mayor usually attends.
REST Stop- This will be our rest stop at the VFW in Newtown Pa just a short ride from Langhorne. We can use the facilities there and hope to warm up with some coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
4TH Stop-We'll continue from our Newtown rest stop to the Soldiers graves in Washington 's Crossing Pa. This is a great stop. There are 23 graves of unknown Revolutionary Soldiers in a beautiful setting , back in the woods.
5TH Stop-Washington's Crossing National Cemetery . We'll lay 5 wreaths here , one for each branch of our services.
6TH Stop- This is our final stop. The Garden of Reflection in Yardley Pa.
The Garden of Reflection 9-11 Memorial was created to remember and honor our loved ones and all 2,973 killed on September 11, 2001. It is situated in Memorial Park amid the natural beauty of Historical Bucks County farmland in Lower Makefield Township .
- Wayne
*This newsletter is named "The Weekly Ride" or "The Ride", for short, in memory of and to honor Sgt. Jennifer Hartman, U.S. Army. Sgt. Hartman was killed in Iraq by America's enemies. She died in defense of our freedom at the age of 20. This quote from Jennifer was read at her graveside: