THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 7, 1996 TAG: 9604030043
SECTION: REAL LIFE PAGE: K3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: OBSCURE TOUR
LOCAL LANDMARKS THE TOUR BOOKS NEVER MENTION
SOURCE: BY EARL SWIFT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
TIPPY, TOBO and Toodles may not approach the stature of such Fort Monroe tenants as Edgar Allan Poe, Robert E. Lee and Jeff Davis.
But their tiny graves atop the windswept ramparts have become an offbeat highlight of the historic fort, which has guarded the entrance to Hampton Roads since before the Civil War.
The animals' headstones are among 230 that stud the grass here. Each marks the final resting place of pets beloved by Army folks stationed at the bastion.
Legend has it that the practice dates to 1928, when an Army colonel received permission to bury his dead dog on the post. He chose a spot on the original fort's grass-covered western ramparts.
Others followed suit, and by the 1960s the soil between the rooftop's concrete gun emplacements was getting pretty nutrient-rich. Markers of concrete, marble and granite appeared, commemorating Dusty, Star, Tweety Cat, Nip. Blacky the Super Dachshund. Honey Boy Major. Bozie.
The practice ended in 1988, when a government directive forbade pet burials on Army property.
Headstones dating to 1936 still stand sentinel atop the wall, however - providing tourists a bittersweet stroll through an often-overlooked part of fort life. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
BILL TIERNAN/The Virginian-Pilot
For decades, the pets of families stationed at Fort Monroe were
buried on the post.
by CNB