Memorial Day in Durham Means Marking Graves of Local Soldiers

One by one, American flags are placed on the final resting places of the town's heroes. The men, with names like Eliakin Strong and Herekiah Parmelee, live in the memory of those who've shared in the sacrifice.

On Thursday, members of the Durham VFW Post 10169, American Legion Post 184 and Venture Crew 169 continued the annual tradition of placing flags at the gravesites of servicemen at each of the town's three cemeteries.

At the Old Durham Cemetery, Rick Parmelee, Vinny Caruso, John Miller and George Roberts walk the uneven terrain, carefully searching for the 45 men who were buried here after serving their country — including many who fought during the Revolutionary War.

"I had a friend I grew up with and he got killed in Vietnam, so I always think of him on Memorial Day," said Miller, who keeps a checklist of the men. Some of the graves are easy to spot each year, others more challenging.

Many of the men were buried with gravestones made of local sandstone, which have weathered over the years making their owners difficult to locate.

One in particular, the gravestone of Captain Nathanael Sutlief who died in 1760 at the age of 64, has worn well with age, leading George Roberts to take a moment to enjoy the detail of the gravestone before placing a brand new flag at its side.

Editor's Note: Flags were also placed at Durham Cemetery and Mica Hill Cemetery. In addition, the VFW has made a donation to replace the flagpole at the Old Durham Cemetery.