Community Corner

Hidden Gems Of Hartford And Tolland Counties

The latest Gem is a section of cemetery fitting for Black History Month.

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Civil War vet Benjamin W. Cross's grave in Vernon.
Civil War vet Benjamin W. Cross's grave in Vernon. (Chris Dehnel/Patch )

VERNON, CT — This week's Hidden Gem is a section of a cemetery in Vernon that is fitting for Black History Month.

Two graves in Vernon's Elmwood Cemetery, located a stone's throw from the Interstate 84 Exit 66 interchange, mark the final resting places of two soldiers from Black Civil War Era regiments.

How they ended up in Vernon seems to be a mystery, even for those at the nearby New England Civil War Museum and Research Center, but they are there — Henry E. Blinn, who served in Company F of the 110th U.S. Colored Regiment and Benjamin W. Cross, who served in the 125th U.S. Colored Infantry.

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Blinn was born in 1832 and lived until 1905. According to the National Park Service, The 110th was Organized June 25, 1864, from the 2nd Alabama Colored Infantry and was attached to District of North Alabama, Department of the Cumberland, until 1865. Blinn's unit was assigned to the defenses of the Nashville & Northwestern Railroad to March, 1865. It was also part of the Department of the Tennessee until 1866.

In 1864, the 110th was involved in Nathan Bedford Forest's attack on Athens, AL, on Sept. 23 and 24. Forest went on to become the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan's, though he later called for the organization to be disbanded, according to the Library of Congress.

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The 110th was mustered out February 6, 1866.

The final resting place of Henry E. Blinn. (Chris Dehnel/Patch)

Cross lived until April 12, 1928.

His 125th regiment came on late in the conflict and its aftermath. According to the Library of Congress, it was organized at Louisville, KY, on Feb. 12, 1865. It pulled garrison and guard duty at Louisville, and at other points in the Department of Kentucky. It was mustered out on Dec. 20, 1867.

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The Hidden Gems series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path, all located within Hartford and Tolland counties. Do you have a favorite "hidden gem" in the area that you wish to see featured in this column? Email your ideas to Chris.dehnel@patch.com.
Other Hidden Gems in the series:
2025

2024

2023

2022 and earlier

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