Whitehall Decoration Day
Decoration Day at
Whitehall Cemetery is the Saturday after the first Sunday in May.
That is: as early as the 7th or as late as the 13th.
Whitehall Cemetery is situated between Ft. Payne and Valley Head Alabama off US
11 on County Road 750. Traveling North it is before Whitehall Church.
The Church has no jurisdiction over the Cemetery but its parking lot
is a dandy place to turn around when you realize that you have missed
the turnoff.
In 1835 John and
Clara White deeded an acre of the old section to the descendants of
those already buried there. A picture of the Dedication Monument is
in the Photo Gallery. According to Geneva Phillips the Hall in
Whitehall comes from the Hall family that lived nearby.
Decoration
Day is the precursor of Memorial Day. After the War Between the
States a Union General decreed a day of decoration to honor fallen
soldiers. This was not the first Decoration Day. The custom of
organized cleaning and adorning graveyards in the Spring is probably
as old as the custom of community burial. A recent article by
Eurekalert tells of a grave 13,700 years old that was found to have
been decorated with flowers. The War and to a lesser extent, the
decree, did of course, expand and sort of formalize the custom for
then almost everyone had someone to freshly mourn. The reason that
Decoration Days came earlier in the South is that wildflowers and
garden flowers were used and they bloomed earlier in the South.
When Congress
designated a National Memorial Day some cemeteries dropped Decoration
Day. Some didn't. Whitehall didn't.
Decoration Day at
Whitehall begins as early as the first person arrives and ends when
the last person leaves. The main crowd begins to gather around nine
o'clock. At 11:00 the service begins in the Decoration Chapel. It is
followed by a business meeting which is followed by "Dinner on
the Grounds", a pot-luck noon meal. To the best of my knowledge
no one ever coordinates the menu. Bring what you want. Put it on the
table. Eat whatever you please until it's gone. If you didn't intend
to stay for the meal and didn't bring anything someone is sure to ask
you to stay and eat anyway.
The service
comprises singing, prayers, and a sermon. Sometimes the singing is
accompanied by instrumental music, sometimes not. Sometimes acoustic,
sometimes electronic. Every so often there is a Sacred Harp Group.
Sacred Harp Harmony is based on a restricted scale, sometimes called
Shaped Note Singing. Some Hymnals still have shaped notation although
the notes are on staves.
The business
meeting revolves around a financial report and any news that anyone
wants to volunteer. From time to time a communication from some group
that would like to rent the Chapel for weekly services is brought to
a motion. It is always voted down regardless of generous offers to
repair or upgrade the structure.
Speaking of
repairs: Sometime during the Fall of 2012 the Chapel was damaged. See
pictures in the Photo Gallery. There are several theories about it.
Some think it was some drunk who lost control. Some think it was hit
by the Dumpster truck, or a Vault truck, because of the dent in the
flashing. Some think it was the beginning of an attempt to steal the
roof. Some think it was just vandalism. We will probably never know.
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Last Update:6-14-2024. Web Author: David
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