The Other Local National Cemetery
In my last Facebook post I provided details about the National Cemetery in Catonsville, at 5501 Frederick Rd., nicknamed “Little Arlington”.
However, I now realize that there is ANOTHER National Cemetery only two miles away, at 3445 Frederick Rd. This National Cemetery is known as “Loudon Park National Cemetery”. This National cemetery is older and was in place long before the 5501 Frederick “Little Arlington” cemetery. It was originally a military cemetery located within the private (1853) Loudon Park Cemetery, and it was one of the 14 original national cemeteries established under the National Cemetery Act of July 17, 1862. This Cemetery is on the easternmost edge of the Loudon cemetery (across the street from the Family Dollar store) and is separated from the main Loudon cemetery by a stone wall and ornate iron railing. There are formal cast-iron gates at the entrance. (See picture). It's a much smaller cemetery (5.2 acres) and much older, as most of the graves are from the civil war era.
As with all U.S. Veterans cemeteries, this Loudon National Cemetery includes numerous white marble gravestones. US flags are placed in front of the graves on this location on Memorial Day as done at the little Arlington cemetery. Loudon Park National Cemetery is now closed to new interments/burials.
There are approximately 7,100 internments, including 2,300 Civil War Union soldiers and 650 confederate soldiers. It includes the graves of black union soldiers that fought in the civil war whose graves were reinterred to this location. There were also graves of 139 confederate soldiers who died while in military prison at Fort McHenry, which were reinterred and located at this cemetery. There is a monument dedicated to these solders, but although 136 Confederates were buried at the cemetery, only 29 were identified and named on the monument.
There are also several monuments at the site, including a large obelisk monument in the center known as “The Maryland Sons Monument” which includes an elaborate a bas relief sculpture on all 4 sides (See picture). In addition, there is “The Unknown Dead Monument”, The Confederate Monument” and separate monuments honoring US Navy and US Army personnel.
The current site includes a two-story Victorian lodge that was built in the 1890s as a caretaker’s house. Loudon Park National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
The Loudon National Cemetery and the 5501 Frederick Rd. “Little Arlington” cemetery are both managed and maintained by the same VA office that is located at the 5501 Frederick Rd site.
This is a much smaller cemetery however it remains a solemn and peaceful area. Visit this piece of history if you can.
