A special ceremony that recognizes Memorial Day, Armed Forces Day, Peace Officers Memorial Day and the Shipley family in a single event will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at Mount Union Cemetery.
Organizer Eric Niemann pointed out the significance of May 11 as the date in 1861 when Reuben Shipley donated land to help establish a cemetery where Black people could be buried.
The Oregon State University Air Force ROTC Silver Talon Silent Drill Team will be a part of the ceremony with cadets retiring the current flag and raising a new one on the cemetery’s flagpole. Lt. David Barron of Portland Fire and Rescue, who also serves on the Benton Soil and Water Conservation District’s board of directors and works a farm near Summit, will place a wreath to honor the Shipley Family.
Wreaths will also be in place to remember fallen peace officers Jimmy Appelgate and James Dunn. They both were killed in the line of duty while serving with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office — Appelgate in 1955 and Dunn in 1904.
Local trumpeters Adam Burlock and Larry Landis will play and local scouts have been invited to participate. Following the ceremony, participants will have an opportunity to place flags to remember the 200-plus veterans who are buried at Mount Union.
Last weekend, Mount Union Cemetery Association members and other local volunteers prepared the grounds for this weekend’s event.
The event at the Philomath cemetery dates back to 2015 when local Cub Scouts and Oregon State ROTC cadets gathered on the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend to place flags on the cemetery’s gravesites of veterans. In the years since, Niemann has expanded the ceremony to bring attention to Armed Forces Day and Peace Officers Memorial Day..
The historic cemetery is located at 2987 Mount Union Avenue.