Anshe Chesed Cemetery

One of the most historic — and prettiest — cemeteries in Vicksburg is the Anshe Chesed Cemetery located right next to the Vicksburg National Military Park on Clay Street. Here is some information I grabbed from a National Park Service Web site:

From available records, it appears that the current Anshe Chesed Cemetery came into being in 1864, when on August 23, the parcel of land was deeded to the Board of Trustees of Anshe Chesed Congregation for the purpose of establishing a burying ground for the benefit of its members and their families. 

Shortly thereafter, bodies were removed from the old cemetery and re-interred. The first burial in the present cemetery most likely took place in May 1865, when a man named Mayer was buried in grave No. 1. This shows the cemetery's creation to be almost 40 years prior to the establishment of the Vicksburg National Military Park, which now surrounds the cemetery. 

I love walking through this cemetery. It contains my favorite tombstone, pictured at the top. It's a grave for Florence Nauer. She was a 21-year-old girl who died in 1901. She's been reading that book now for 108 years and there are four more to go under her right hand. Many of the tombstones are in Hebrew and one of the larger markers is made of metal. You have to tap on it to be sure, though. Please don't go into the cemetery on Saturday, however, for that is their Sabbath. I've always respected that.