During and after the Civil War, support groups were essential. While brave men went to serve their country, women were not to be forgotten at home. These special women had a calling to serve as well. The noble women formed a society. The founders were Civil War Nurses who went into the battlefields for relief, relief for hospitals with wounded and sick soldiers. Not to mention, relief in homes of wives and children of Union servicemen. Their mission: “to perpetuate the memory of those who sacrificed much and sometimes all in the American Civil War; provide assistance to veterans of ALL wars and extend assistance to them and their widows and orphans.”
This coalition of strong women was known as the Women’s Relief Corps. They were to be dubbed the auxiliary of the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic). Clara Barton, Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony were members, just to name a few. Formed at the general G.A.R. assembly in July 1883, this organization is still active today!
Clarke County was no exception when it came to the call. The Women’s Relief Corps or W.R.C., as often mentioned, was formed in the county on February 12, 1887 by twelve Osceola women. Under the leadership of Anna Karr, who was one of Osceola’s first librarians, helped found the organization the W.R.C. Post 102. This group went “into the fields” of the community to provide relief in any way possible. Whether it was beautiful flower wreaths that adorned a fallen soldier’s grave or providing food to those who hungered, this patriotic organization provided services to many. This group even went so far as to provide relief to a war widow who couldn’t pay her mortgage. These women raised funds to pay off her home, ensuring she had a place to comfortably live the rest of her days.
The W.R.C. Post 102 erected a monument to the fallen soldiers of the Civil War. When you visit Maple Hill Cemetery, be sure to visit the tall stone standing beside the rows of Civil War veterans that are laid to rest. The monument was designed in the image of the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. The monument was dedicated in 1903.