Flint, Michigan's, Aventine Cemetery, while a family burial ground, is also the final resting place of several area Civil War Veterans as well as Veterans from other eras. It is located on a portion of the grounds of Camp Thomson, the site of a Civil War era rendezvous and training facility named for Colonel Thomson of Flint which was long ago abandoned. During the Gov. Crapo Camp's initial activities in Graves Registration, it was found that this cemetery, located near the heart of the City of Flint, had been largely abandoned and in great need of care.

photo by Elizabeth Merrow

In spite of the efforts of people like the Merrow family of Mt. Morris, Michigan, the grounds were frequently found to be cluttered with trash and brush. Many of the Veteran's headstones had deteriorated to the point that they had become near unreadable. The Brothers of the Gov. Crapo Camp No. 145 decided to "adopt" the cemetery as one of our camp projects.

photo by Elizabeth Merrow

During the following months, the Brother's of the Camp started cleaning up the grounds and arranged for replacement headstones through the Veterans Administration. It was hard work completed strictly on a volunteer basis but, eventually, the grounds were free of trash, and the new stones set in place. On Veteran's Day 1993, the Brother's of the Camp, their families, and a few family members of those interred in the cemetery met for a dedication ceremony.

photo by David F. Wallace

The Camp continues to perform periodic grounds maintenance in the Cemetery and conducts our traditional Memorial Day Service on the 30th of May every year as directed by our predecessors of the Grand Army of the Republic. With the valued guidance of former Flint Councilman and current State Representative, Jack Minore, the City mows the grounds biannually and removes much of the trash and other waste that the Camp members collect. We have delightfully noted that several families, in addition to the Merrows, take reverent care of the graves of their own relatives that have gone before. We are however saddened that there are so many that do not.

photo by David F. Wallace

In 2011, the Camp dedicated a monument to the memory of the Gov. Crapo Post and also recognizing the Camp Thomson training ground that was located on the grounds of Aventine and Avondale Cemeteries during the winter and spring of 1861 and 1862.

Aventine Cemetery is located near the intersection of South Bound Chevez and Geneseret Streets, or more generally, North of the McDonald Dairy Building, south of Avondale Cemetery and the Flint National Guard Armory, East of the Flint River, and West of I-475. (Click here for map)

PLEASE - WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The Gov.Crapo Camp invites you to join us in our efforts by assisting us during scheduled cleanup sessions or perhaps donating funds to supplement our actual costs for this or our other projects. Cleanup sessions are scheduled when the condition of the grounds require attention. See our camp calendar for future dates. This is a strictly volunteer effort, with participants donating their time, use of personal lawn care equipment, and supplies. Should you desire of join us on the grounds please contact Camp Commander (commander@govcrapocamp145.org) or Graves Registration Officer (gro@govcrapocamp145.org).

Should you wish to donate any funds earmarked for grounds maintenance or other projects related to the Cemetery, please contact or Camp Treasurer at treasurer@govcrapocamp145.org. The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is a non-profit corporation [Section 501(C)(4)] , Chartered by Act of Congress [Public Law No. 605, 88th Congress, 2nd Session].