AMHERST — A recently installed monument at West Cemetery honoring a family of black soldiers who fought for the Union during the Civil War will be dedicated Saturday afternoon.

The memorial, which also serves as a gravestone for the final resting place for Christopher Thompson, a member of the 5th Massachusetts Calvary who died in 1898, was put in place in January by the Historical Commission. The commission received $5,000 in Community Preservation Act funding for the project in May 2016.

Historical Commission member Robert Romer said the ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m., is a continuation of a 2011 celebration in which he installed a temporary marker for Thompson, whose grave was long unmarked.

“It’s more than a gravestone,” said Romer, a retired Amherst College physics professor. “This stone serves as a substitute for the gravestone that he was probably too broke to afford at the time he died. It also will call the attention of visitors to the fact that there is an African-American section of the cemetery, by custom, not by regulation.”

West Cemetery is best known for Emily Dickinson’s gravestone.

The front side of the new memorial pays tribute to Thompson and states “erected 2016 by a grateful community.” The back side lists the five Thompsons, James, a member of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry and, the 5th Massachusetts Calvary members, which, in addition to Christopher, included his brothers Henry and John and his son, Charles. That side is topped with the phrase “An Amherst family that fought for freedom in the Civil War.”

Romer said the memorial implicitly honors all African-American Civil War soldiers from Amherst. By listing the names of the five Thompsons, Romer said, it will introduce visitors to the fact that a significant number of black men enlisted in the cause of freedom. Both Henry Thompson and John Thompson were killed during the war.

Some of Thompson’s descendants will be on hand for the event, including Greenfield resident and Amherst native Edythe Harris. Harris, great-great-granddaughter of Christopher Thompson, is also the daughter of famed banjo player Gil Roberts, who is one of the figures depicted on the former Amherst History Mural.

Harris said she and her family are grateful to Romer and the Historical Commission for ensuring that Christopher Thompson’s life and service are commemorated.

“It is heartwarming to know that my second great grandfather has now received recognition for his service and that future generations, as well as all who visit West Cemetery, will be aware of his contribution to our nation,” Harris said.

Anyone attending the ceremony can enter the cemetery through the main entrance on Triangle Street or the side entrance on North Pleasant Street next to the Toy Box store.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.

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