Glenwood Cemetery
Walking through the Glenwood Cemetery in Natick, there are many of these medallions and flags on the graves of veterans. All of these medallions are a bit different, but I had to look up what GAR stood for. It turns out GAR means the Grand Army of the Republic. This was a national fraternal organization founded in 1866 for Union veterans of the Civil War. For nearly a century, the GAR served as a brotherhood, a political force that ensured that the sacrifices of the war would not fade as years passed.
The first type I noticed was the five-pointed star with small stars in each point and the letters GAR 1861-1865 in the center. This is the standardized GAR grave marker that began appealing in the 1880s. It was placed to identify any Union veteran, and the dates mark the span of the Civil War.
The second type of medallion is still a five-pointed star with the initials GAR but this time stamped Post 63 in the center. This one is more specific and indicates that the veteran was a member of GAR Post 63, Natick’s own chapter of the organization. These post-numbered medallions became common in the 1890s and early 1900s, as local posts took pride in marking graves on their own members. Post 63 in Natick was one of the integrated posts in Massachusetts, welcoming both black and white veterans.
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