Given Huntsville’s deep military history, it’s fitting that Maple Hill Cemetery is the final resting place for veterans from as far back as the Revolutionary War. A new app developed by the City’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department now helps visitors locate each veteran’s grave.
Overcoming challenges to honor veterans
Organizations place flags and wreaths on veterans’ graves each year for occasions like Memorial Day, Armed Forces Week, Christmas, and Veterans Day. According to Tara Sloan, the City’s Director of Cemeteries, these groups could not accurately determine how many flags or wreaths were needed or where each veteran’s grave was located.
“We’re grateful to the City’s GIS Department for creating this tool to ensure our veterans receive the honor they deserve,” Sloan shared. “Of the estimated 80,000 to 100,000 individuals buried in Maple Hill Cemetery, they identified 2,220 veterans.”
Mapping the cemetery: A monumental task
This project was no small feat. In the summer of 2024, Will Ford, an intern from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, took on the mission with the City’s GIS Department.
“To gather the data for this app, Ford walked every acre of Maple Hill Cemetery with a GPS device, logging names, birth and death dates, military branches, and the wars they served,” explained GIS Manager Amy Kenum. “This work has been meaningful for Huntsville’s history and honoring our City’s veterans.”
Expanding the effort beyond Maple Hill Cemetery
Maple Hill Cemetery is just the beginning—Sloan aims to expand this initiative to other City cemeteries.
Families who don’t see their loved one’s grave in the app can email MapleHill@HuntsvilleAL.gov with the details.
To access the app, visit maps.HuntsvilleAL.gov/cemetery. Use the map filters in the top right corner to view Maple Hill Veterans and filter results by military conflict.
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