Visiting Union Cemetery in Monroe North Carolina
Off The Beaten Path In North Carolina
North Carolina can’t quite compete with the beaches of California and the glamour of New York. But for those who are not wanting to check off the typical sites while traveling through the United States, North Carolina has an abundance of beauty and oddities throughout the State. The Appalachian Mountains attracts tourists from around the world every year and the beaches bring in its fair share of visitors, but what are some things to do in Union County outside of the major city of Charlotte?
When traveling, no one wants to be confined to the cities or the major tourist attractions. Many people would prefer to blaze their own trail and embark on their very own adventure. One of the best things to do in Union County or rural North Carolina, in general, is to simply drive. Taking you through large expanses of open fields and wooded windy roads, taking a road trip through the countryside in North Carolina will give you that break from the parking lots and concrete slabs of urban America. And while on the road, who knows what you might come across.
Looking to explore some of the small towns in North Carolina? Be sure to travel up to Mount Airy!
Stumbling Across History
As you begin to drive and leave the skyscrapers and strip malls of Charlotte behind you, the windy country roads of Union County begin. Although the city is constantly expanding, encroaching on the rugged wilderness of rural North Carolina, you can still find yourself pleasantly lost in the middle of nowhere. Not far from the city limits, you will be breathing the fresh air and taking in the golden fields of the rolling farmland, as you continue down the country roads you may suddenly come across a humble cemetery located not far from the corner of East Brief Road and Hopewell Church Road.
With its low-lying wall made up of the quartz which many prospectors of the past dug up in search of gold, this humble cemetery is made up of nearly 100 graves. With its wooden sign creaking with the breeze and the black colored stones casting shadows over the emerald-colored lawn, it doesn’t take too long to see that this cemetery holds something unique. A quality not often found in the more modern graveyards found around North Carolina. What makes Union Cemetery so special is that none of the graves have a death date past the year 1900 and that the first burial was undergone in the early 19th century.
If you want to find abandoned places in North Carolina, you won’t want to miss the Henry River Mill Village.
Confederate Graves
Amongst the crumbling graves, you will find some modern headstones standing amongst the centuries-old slabs. Some of the markers which have been so withered by the elements and succumbed to the rain and wind have been replaced, so that even in death those that came before us can still be remembered. Those buried at Union Cemetary are not just your common farmers and country folk of the 19th and 18th centuries. Several of the graves belong to soldiers who took part in some of the defining moments in American history, such as the American Revolution and the American Civil War.
The graves of these deceased soldiers are marked with small American flags. Those who fought in the American Civil War also have another banner placed on top of their plot. Alongside the American flag, you will also find the Stars and Bars, otherwise known as the Confederate Flag, waving beside the marker. The Confederate Flag (actually the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia) has been under much scrutiny in recent years, many calling for its complete removal due to its usage in racial attacks and white supremacist groups. Those who still fly the emblem despite the protest feel that the flag is a symbol of their culture and heritage. No matter where you may stand on this controversial issue, the Confederate Flag is a bit of a rarity. Graveyards are one of the few places where you can still find the Stars and Bars waving in the open air.
American culture starts with the Native Americans. There is no better place to start with the local culture than in Cherokee!
Exploring North Carolina
Anyone planning a trip through the United States would not put North Carolina at the top of their list. Even during a road trip covering the entire country, most people would only see the highways taking them straight from the Virginia border down to South Carolina. But for a truly unique American experience you will have to stray off of the beaten path and wander down those country roads to places such as Union County. Of course, you could spend a lifetime leaving no rock unturned and visiting every single oddity and roadside attraction in America, but stumbling across places such as the Union Cemetery will add another memory to a journey down the road less traveled.
Union Cemetery is a part of dark tourism in every sense of the word. Not only will you find over a hundred-year-old graves, but the Confederate Flag also adds an element that would spark the interest of any thrill-seeking traveler looking to witness a spectacle seldom seen in person. Spots like the Union Cemetery are just a fraction of all of the abandoned and curious destinations hidden away in North Carolina. But as soon as you turn on your car and head down those winding roads, you will begin to discover a side of America not often seen by outsiders.
