Knights of Columbus Assembly 1187 members Don Durochia, left, and Michael Pollock install a plaque Nov. 4 at the foundation for a flagpole set to be dedicated Saturday at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cemetery in Parkersburg. (Photo provided by Michael Pollock)

PARKERSBURG – A local cemetery that is the final resting place of 75 veterans, 35 of them from the Civil War, will have an American flag raised and flagpole dedicated.

The Knights of Columbus Assembly 1187 in Parkersburg will hold the dedication at 11 a.m. Saturday in the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cemetery at 14th and Dillaway streets.

The group focuses on patriotic service activities, including driving veterans to appointments, donating medication organizers for veterans and replacing flags at cemeteries, Catholic schools and churches, said Michael Pollock, the group’s faithful navigator.

They also do spring cleanups at Catholic cemeteries and have made similar improvements at some of them, including recently installing a dusk-to-dawn solar-powered light at Mt. Carmel Cemetery. But when they learned how many veterans were interred at the St. Francis Xavier graveyard, “it kind of took on a life of its own,” Pollock said.

“We thought it actually deserved a little more attention,” he said.

Members of Knights of Columbus Assembly 1187 work to place the foundation for a flagpole Oct. 4 at St. Francis Xavier Cemetery in Parkersburg. (Photo provided by Michael Pollock)

The names of the veterans will be read during the ceremony by veteran members of the assembly. “Taps” will be performed, followed by a 75-second moment of silence, Pollock said.

“I’m hoping some family members actually show up for the ceremony. That’d be awesome,” he said.

According to an article local historian Roger Nedeff wrote for the local Knights of Columbus Council 594 website, parkersburgkofc594.org, men who served in both the Union and Confederate armies are buried in the cemetery. Among them are Col. John “Cass” Rathbone “who outfitted and armed his own unit during the Civil War;” Capt. Michael Egan, who wrote “The Flying Gray Haired Yank” about his exploits in the war; and John Showalter, a Confederate soldier who was a member of McNeill’s Rangers.

Nedeff compiled another list of veterans from periods including the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II who are interred at the cemetery.

The concrete foundation for the flagpole was poured by members of the assembly in October, with a plaque installed Nov. 4 and the flagpole set to be erected this week.

A concrete foundation and plaque have been installed for a flagpole set to be dedicated Saturday at St. Francis Xavier Cemetery in Parkersburg. (Photo provided by Michael Pollock)

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com