Families remember loved ones buried at Fort Knox during Memorial Day open visitation

By Eric PilgrimMay 26, 2020

Families remember loved ones buried at Fort Knox during Memorial Day open visitation
Members of the McCullum family relax and catch up on family history at Cedar Creek Cemetery during Fort Knox's annual open visitation day May 25, 2020. Each year, the post opens for one day on Memorial Day for people to visit the 121 cemeteries that dot the installation. (Photo Credit: Eric Pilgrim, Fort Knox News) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT KNOX, Ky. — For four members of the Muth family, a kind gesture from an unlikely source came as a bit of a shock.

An organization called Sons of Confederate Veterans planned to add a military foot marker to the gravestone of a Civil War veteran — George E. Muth. The Union Soldier had served as a private in Company C, 41st New York Infantry.

He had also fought in the Battle of Gettysburg.

“We do these things to honor all veterans,” said Tim Bowman, commander of the Gen. Ben Hardin Helm Camp out of Elizabethtown. “We believe every veteran should be properly marked.”

Bowman said he and other members of the organization had been planning to add the foot marker when a chance encounter at a doctor’s office allowed him to share the plan with a member of the Muth family.

Bowman came into a clinic one day where Jessica Muth worked. When the doctor suggested that Bowman be seen by her, Jessica’s last name struck him as coincidental.

“He asked me, ‘That’s an uncommon name. Were you related to George Muth?’” Jessica said. “I thought he was talking about my grandfather, who was George E. He goes, ‘No, this man would have died a long time ago.’ I said, ‘You’re talking about my great-great-grandfather.’ So he told me about them placing the stone.

“Without his visit, we would have never known.”

The Muths, along with other visitors near and far, took advantage of what has become an annual tradition at Fort Knox — a day of open visitation where families and others can spend Memorial Day with loved ones buried at the Central Kentucky Army post.

Families remember loved ones buried at Fort Knox during Memorial Day open visitation
A picture of Civil War Union Soldier George E. Muth, sits against the fence of his cemetery outside of Muldraugh as members of the Muth family visit with members of Sons of Confederate Veterans May 25, 2020. The veteran organization placed a military footstone at the grave of Muth during annual open visitation of cemeteries at Fort Knox. (Photo Credit: Eric Pilgrim, Fort Knox News) VIEW ORIGINAL

For three McCullum brothers, the area known as Cedar Creek is a family tradition. They and some members of other families whose relatives are buried at the cemetery get together each year to catch up on old times, swap stories and relax.

Their grandfather, Robert L., became the last relative buried at Cedar Creek Cemetery – seven years after the U.S. Army bought the land from the family because of the Second World War effort.

“The family had to get permission to bury him here. They like to have never gotten the okay,” said Larry McCullum. “The Army had to stop the firing and everything to get him in here.”

Phillip McCullum said they can remember coming to the cemetery with their father, from when the boys were as young as 4 years old.

“We just kept coming back every year,” said Larry. “When Dad got disabled, we’d bring him.”

Phillip said part of their tradition was maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery, located just north of Joe Prather Highway about six miles west of Radcliff. Some families brought mowers, others brought hedge trimmers or weed eaters. The practice stopped in the 1980s when the U.S. Army took charge of keeping the cemeteries clean.

Families remember loved ones buried at Fort Knox during Memorial Day open visitation
Members of the Muth family stand behind the grave marker of Civil War veteran George E. Muth after placement of the footstone. They brought along some memorabilia from Muth's collection, including a bayonet and canteen he used during the Battle of Gettysburg. (Photo Credit: Eric Pilgrim, Fort Knox News) VIEW ORIGINAL

At Muth Cemetery, little upkeep is needed — from them or the Army. A soft bed of algae blankets the shady plot tucked inside the woods behind Muldraugh. Their focus has instead been on celebrating history itself — a history meticulously captured by the Civil War hero who, according to Jessica, even wrote down the price of stamps; what life was like through the latter half of the 1800s.

“Our family is engulfed in our heritage,” said Jessica. “We talk about him quite frequently.”

Muth died Dec. 1, 1918, shortly after being forced from his home just over the hill from where the cemetery sits, said Jessica. Over 102 years later, COVID-19 concerns left them wondering if they would have the opportunity to visit the gravesite of her great-great-grandfather.

Shortly after Fort Knox senior leaders announced plans this year to continue the Memorial Day tradition despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Bowman said he and his organization made plans to identify Muth as a military veteran, plans made easier by encouragement from Fort Knox historians.

“What Fort Knox does with the upkeep and identification of these cemeteries is fantastic.”