SHEFFIELD-A ceremony to pay tribute to 42 Revolutionary War soldiers who are buried in Colbert, Franklin and Lauderdale counties and to 101 civilians who died in the Shoals while working for the War Department during World War I and were buried at Oakwood Cemetery was held on Sunday, November 12.
The one-hour ceremony featured a brass quintet from the U.S. Army with speakers with speakers from the Sons of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution, American Legion Post 31 of Tuscumbia, Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation, Natchez Trace Genealogical Society, Preservation Heritage Inc., Franklin County Archives and local elected officials. The keynote speaker for the event was Sue Bell Cobb, Honorable Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb of Supreme Court of Alabama (retired) who is also running for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Alabama.
According to the event organizer, Joel Mize the event was held to honor all of those who fight for freedom, past, present and future and bring awareness to the local American Revolution veterans and recognize the sacrifices of civilian workers in the Shoals who helped with the construction of Wilson Dam and nearby munitions plants during World War I. Mize said a monument honoring the defense workers buried at Oakwood will be unveiled on Memorial Day 2018.
The Quad Cities Daily was on hand to capture the event in photos and we present them to you here:
