Editing Grafton, West Virginia (section)

==National cemeteries==
[[File:Grafton National Cemetery.jpg|thumb|[[Grafton National Cemetery]]]]
[[Thornsbury Bailey Brown]] was the first soldier killed in the Civil War, at [[Fetterman, West Virginia|Fetterman]], now part of Grafton.<ref name=gwv/> He is interred at the [[Grafton National Cemetery]]. This was opened in 1868 to provide a burial ground for Union soldiers who died in West Virginia's military hospitals and battlefields.  The Federal Government selected Grafton as the site of the national cemetery for its proximity to the [[Maple Avenue Cemetery]], which already contained the remains of many [[US Civil War]] veterans.

On June 14, the first governor of West Virginia, [[Arthur Boreman]], officially dedicated the cemetery.  The cemetery contains more than 2,100 interments, including 1,252 Union soldiers. 613 Civil War soldiers are buried as unknowns and their graves are identified with six-inch square marble markers.  In 1875, an Act of Congress was passed authorizing "preservation and maintenance" of the cemetery. Two plaques on the lowest terrace contain stanzas from [[Theodore O'Hara]]'s poem "[[Bivouac of the Dead]]."

Memorial Day services at Grafton National Cemetery include a special tradition known locally as "Flower Strewing Day".  Historically, each year a parade begins in downtown Grafton and winds to the cemetery, where town children place flowers at each grave marker.  The day concludes with a memorial service officiated by a prominent West Virginian.  Every governor, except one who served a term of only six days, has spoken at the Grafton National Cemetery at least once during their term in office.<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/national_cemeteries/West_Virginia/Grafton_National_Cemetery.html nps.gov: "Civil War Era National Cemeteries: Honoring Those Who Served – Grafton National Cemetery"], National Park Service</ref>