The APSU GIS Center has partnered with the Mt. Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society to map and document the burial places of African American soldiers buried at Mt. Olive Cemetery. The graves being mapped include African American “Civil War soldiers, Buffalo Soldiers, and one WWII veteran,” says Joshua Gramlick, the GIS Technician mapping the graves. Mr. Gramlick has been working on mapping the location of veteran graves onsite and digitally from the GIS Center, in order to create a virtual tour available to the public from the Mt. Olive Cemetery Veteran Tour website. In addition to the marked grave sites, Mr. Gramlick has also mapped out other key locations at the Cemetery such as churches and parking lots, identifying useful information should anyone choose to visit the cemetery in person.

With the help of Kurt Bryant, Mike Taliento, and Phyllis Smith, the GIS Center successfully launched the Mt Olive Veteran Tour website only four weeks after the project began on May 17th, 2021. With the aim of honoring the life and sacrifice of African American veterans, the website gives identity to lost soldiers by sharing information such as the grave locations where individuals are buried, the soldiers’ names, and short biographies.

To view the virtual tour, visit https://arcg.is/8W498