Fort Polk
Vernon Parish
Louisiana USA
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Cemetery notes and/or description:
This cemetery is located East of North Fort Polk between Calhoun Branch and Byrds Creek. The first burial was for Gemima Weatherly (Sloan) Haymon who died in 1862. The family buried her in the woods near their home. When her husband, Hezekiah Haymon, returned from the Civil War to discover his wife had died, he built a fence around her grave to preserve the area. At that time, the cemetery was called the Haymon Cemetery. Later when Ft. Polk was established, Jack Hadnot, then Vernon Parish Clerk of Court, was consulted to ascertain the cemetery name. Not being familiar with the Haymon family, Jack labeled it the Watson Cemetery because it was located on the old Watson homestead. Therefore, on Fort Polk maps the burial ground is labeled Watson Cemetery, but the Haymon family erected a new sign that correctly identifies it as the Haymon Cemetery. By Jane P. McManus |
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