The Pierce Brigade, the membership organization dedicated to preserving the home and legacy of President Franklin Pierce, has adopted Old North Cemetery on North State Street as part of Wreaths Across America. Wreaths will be laid on the graves of 200 veterans located in the historic cemetery.
On Saturday, December 13 at 10 a.m., the public is invited to join representatives from each of the eight military service branches as they place a commemorative wreath at the entrance to the cemetery, which will remain in place until spring. A Color Guard made up of members of the 6th New Hampshire Volunteer Historical Association will be in place during the ceremony. The event is rain or shine.
Old North Cemetery is the final resting place of those who served in such conflicts as the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War and the Spanish American War. Old North Cemetery is also where Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States and a Brigadier General in the Mexican War, is buried.
Wreaths Across America was founded in 2007 as a way to expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery and support groups across the country wishing to pay tribute to the veterans who served their state and our nation. The Concord ceremony is being held the same day that wreaths will be laid in Arlington National Cemetery.
Volunteers wishing to assist in the placement of wreaths on veterans’ graves are invited to join the Pierce Brigade on Friday, December 12 at 10:0 a.m. in Old North Cemetery, which is located at 141 North State Street in Concord.
About the Pierce Brigade
The Pierce Brigade is the membership organization dedicated to preserving the home and legacy of President Franklin Pierce. President Pierce and his family owned the Pierce Manse from 1842-1848. In 1971, the Pierce Manse was saved from demolition by the Pierce Brigade and moved to its current location at 14 Horseshoe Pond Lane in Concord, New Hampshire. For more information, visit www.piercemanse.org