A new flag is flying over Soldiers and Sailors Cemetery in Hastings after Hastings VFW Post 1210 replaced a deteriorating flagpole that could no longer be used during the annual Memorial Day observance. The new pole is the latest step in the VFW's long-running effort to care for the historic cemetery, which was established by Hastings members of the Grand Army of the Republic more than a century ago.
"Today we raised a flag at Soldiers and Sailors Cemetery," VFW Commander Mark Gelhar said. "The old flagpole was in terrible disrepair last Memorial Day. We were not even able to raise a flag as we traditionally do because we're here every Memorial Day."
The VFW purchased the replacement flagpole for approximately $400, while Terry Sieben, Denny Clark and Jim Murtaugh volunteered the labor needed to install it. The three dug the hole, set the pole and completed the installation, giving the cemetery a sturdy replacement for the pole that had become unusable.
Gelhar said the new flagpole was also placed in a more visible location than the previous one. The old pole had been tucked farther back among the trees, while the new location sits in an opening where it can be seen more easily by traffic along Nininger Road.
"We have a new location. It'll be a lot more visible out in this opening, and a lot of traffic on Nininger," Gelhar said. "Before it was kind of tucked back there behind all these trees. One of the trees was cut, so now we got a nice clearing."
The change also means the American flag will be visible at the cemetery far more often than it has been in the past. Gelhar said the VFW plans to keep the flag flying through the warmer months and will likely remove it during the winter to protect it from weather and extend its life.
"We're for sure going to have it up in the summer," Gelhar said. "Probably take it down in the winter and store it just to help preserve it so it doesn't deteriorate quite so fast. But even having it up in the summer will be. It used to just be Memorial Day, and that was the only time there was a flag out here, so you'll see it more often for sure."
The cemetery's history reaches back to Hastings' Grand Army of the Republic chapter, an organization made up of Union veterans of the Civil War. Historical information about the site states that the Hastings chapter was originally formed Sept. 7, 1866, with Major John Kennedy serving as its first commander. It was later rechartered April 15, 1884, as Peller Post 89, named in honor of First Lieutenant John Peller, a member of the 1st Minnesota Volunteers who was wounded at Gettysburg.
In 1905, Peller Post 89 purchased a half-acre triangular parcel of land for use as a burial ground for Civil War and Spanish-American War veterans and their families. The cemetery sits across the street from the larger Lakeside Cemetery and includes a central flagpole area and a stone monument marked with the letters "G.A.R."
Gelhar said the presence of family members explains why not every grave at the site belongs to a veteran. He did not know the exact number of people buried there, and determining some of the site's history, including its current ownership, has proven difficult.
"I just know the Grand Army of the Republic purchased this land for a cemetery, and it was for veterans and their families," Gelhar said. "So some of the headstones are out here. You'll see our family members, not actual veterans."
The question of who legally owns the cemetery today remains unresolved. Gelhar said attempts to locate clear ownership information have not produced an answer, even through county records, and he believes the uncertainty may date back to the eventual dissolution of the Grand Army of the Republic after its remaining members died.
"My guess is when the Grand Army of the Republic dissolved after their last member passed away, it just kind of went into a limbo status," Gelhar said. The property has continued to receive basic care over the years, including lawn mowing, and the VFW has remained connected to the cemetery through its annual Memorial Day observances.
That connection also goes back well beyond the new flagpole. In 1998, Hastings VFW Post 1210 stepped in to restore and fence the property, helping preserve the cemetery as a historic site. The entrance arch and fencing remain visible today, but Gelhar said both the fence and the overall grounds are again in need of attention.
The VFW is now working with the City of Hastings on possibilities for restoring the fence and improving the cemetery. Gelhar said he has spoken with Hastings Mayor Mary Fasbender about the project and believes there is support for helping bring the property back into better condition.
"She's on board to help us however they can and bring this place up to something we can be proud of when we come out for these veterans that are buried here, Civil War era people," Gelhar said.
The VFW also hopes to involve the broader Hastings community. Gelhar said a community fundraiser is among the possibilities as the organization works with the city to determine what improvements are needed and how the project can move forward.
"It's a lot of work to be done," Gelhar said. "So we'll be trying to get a community fundraiser going and working with the city and tie it all together and get it done."
For now, the new flagpole provides a visible first step. After a Memorial Day when the deteriorated pole prevented the VFW from raising a flag at the cemetery, the replacement once again gives Soldiers and Sailors Cemetery a flag flying above the graves of veterans and their families, while drawing new attention to a historic Hastings site the VFW hopes to continue preserving.