Somerville Announces Veterans Day Ceremony Details

SOMERVILLE, MA — The city is preparing to honor local veterans with a Veterans Day remembrance ceremony at Milk Row Cemetery.

Somerville and the Somerville Museum will host the ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Mayor Jake Wilson, city councilors, and the Somerville Office of Veterans’ Services will join the Ancient & Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, HM 10th Regiment of Foot, and 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry for the observance. The ceremony and speaking program will honor all Somerville veterans, including those buried at or commemorated by the cemetery’s 1863 Civil War Monument. Participants will also pay tribute at the gravesite of an unknown British soldier.

Milk Row Cemetery is located at 439 Somerville Ave., next to Market Basket. Seating will be available, and the site is ADA accessible. Residents are encouraged to RSVP online to help staff plan, although registration is not required.

Established in 1804 on land once owned by Samuel Tufts, Milk Row Cemetery is Somerville’s oldest burial ground. The city took control of the cemetery in 1892. Its name comes from the former name of Somerville Avenue, a route used to transport products from local dairy farms.

The Civil War monument was erected in 1863 on a plot donated by Enoch Robinson, the inventor who designed Somerville’s Round House. The 15-foot monument is topped by an eagle with outstretched wings and includes tablets bearing the names of Somerville soldiers who died in the war.

The ceremony is supported by the Somerville Historic Commission. The Somerville Museum is contracted by the city to organize historic events and ceremonies.

The Somerville Office of Veterans’ Services will also place wreaths at City Hall and North Street Cemetery in observance of Veterans Day. The office will provide wreaths for the George Dilboy Post VFW 529 and Disabled American Veterans Somerville #27.

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