Media Contacts
Nate Formalarie, Communications Director
Agency of Commerce and Community Development
Nate.Formalarie@vermont.gov
Laura V. Trieschmann, State Historic Preservation Officer
Department of Housing and Community Development
Division for Historic Preservation
Laura.Trieschmann@vermont.gov
War of 1812 Soldiers to be Honored by Reinterment Ceremony
A reinterment ceremony for the soldiers of the War of 1812 will be held on June 4, 2022, from 10:00am to 11:00am at Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington.
Media members and the public are welcome to attend.
Burlington, Vt. – The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation announces the reinterment ceremony for the soldiers of the War of 1812 on Saturday June 4, 2022, from 10:00am to 11:00am at Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington. The remains of 30 individuals are being reinterred with military honors provided by the Honor Guard of the Vermont Army National Guard. The event is coordinated by the City of Burlington, the University of Vermont-Consulting Archaeology Program (UVM-CAP), and the State of Vermont.
“We are proud to provide these brave Americans with a burial deserving of their achievements for our country’s honor on the international stage during the War of 1812,” said Laura V. Trieschmann, State Historic Preservation Officer. “Since the first discovery of remains in 2002, our collaborative efforts and partnerships have focused on respecting the sacrifices of these soldiers and ensuring that they are provided with a final resting place.”
During the War of 1812, the village of Burlington was used as a supply depot, campground, and major hospital site by the United States Army. Research has shown that the military-owned property is in what is now the Old North End of Burlington between North Street and Pearl Street and including Battery Park. The area was referred to as Camp Burlington and housed approximately 3,000 to 4,500 troops at various times during the war. An estimated 500 soldiers are believed to have been buried in Burlington between 1812 and 1815; military records indicate that more than 550 soldiers along with state militiamen, prisoners of war, and civilian camp followers died in the Queen City. All the burials were on the then-undeveloped sandy plain to the north of the military cantonment.
As a result of new construction along North Street by the Agency of Transportation, between the years 2002 and 2005, the remains of 23 soldiers were excavated in advance of street improvements. In 2020, a housing construction project in the area uncovered the remains of thirteen additional soldiers. Exhumation and documentation of the remains and the associated grave goods were undertaken by UVM-CAP, which has respectfully housed the remains in anticipation of their reinterment.
“Since the discovery of the first human remains, there have been dedicated and collective efforts to confirm the size and significance of Burlington’s War of 1812 cemetery,” stated Dr. John Crock, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of UVM-CAP. “In addition to the analysis of soldiers’ remains and associated artifacts, UVM-CAP has conducted thousands of hours of research in an effort to better understand Vermont’s role in the conflict, identify all those who died in Burlington, and ultimately to identify the specific individuals whose remains will be reinterred.”
About thirty different Regular regiments including infantry, artillery, and dragoons from states along the eastern seaboard from Maine to North Carolina are represented in the Burlington burial ground.
A columbarium and headstone have been placed by the City of Burlington in Lakeview Cemetery as the final resting place for the 30 exhumed soldiers.
The Division for Historic Preservation wishes to thank the Agency of Transportation, Agency of Commerce and Community Development, state archaeologists, City of Burlington, UVM-CAP, the many property owners, and construction contractors, who have overseen the excavations, recordation, and reinterment of these American heroes.
Media members and the public are welcome to attend.
Reinterment Ceremony
- War of 1812 Soldiers
- June 4, 2022
- 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
- Lakeview Cemetery 455 North Avenue, Burlington, Vermont
Speakers:
- Miro Weinberger - Mayor of Burlington
- Secretary Lindsay Kurrle - Agency of Commerce and Community Development
- Dr. John Crock - Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of UVM—Consulting Archaeology Program
- Erhard Mahnke - Representing Senator Bernie Sanders
- John Tracy - Representing Senator Patrick Leahy
Parking:
Parking is available on site at Lakeview. We ask that the majority of those in attendance park down the hill to the right of the main entrance. Attendees may park in the dirt parking area in front of the workshop as well as along cemetery roads. Parking for those with mobility issues is available to the left of the main entrance on the grass bordering the south fence line. Overflow parking is also available in the Burlington High School lots to the north of the cemetery. Please do not park along North Avenue as on-street parking is prohibited in this area. Cemetery maps are available upon request – please email hbushnell@burlingtonvt.gov to request a map.
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