It stands on a hill behind the high school, overlooking Wilson Park. Many have seen it from a distance, but only a few stop by. The concrete Union County Veterans Wall was originally painted black to represent the bleakness, the abyss some veterans feel when returning to civilian life. The wall was completed in 2014 and dedicated on Flag Day in 2015. However, the paint started to blister, and was replaced with gray stucco that resembled the look of granite, with black marble plaques.

The Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865, claimed over 620,000 lives - more lives than any conflict in U.S. history. It required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries. In 1868, May 30th was declared a day to remember those fallen in the Civil War. The date May 30th was chosen primarily because it was not a date of any particular battle over the years of the war. Initially called Decoration Day, in 1967 the name was changed to Memorial Day, and in 1971 the date was changed to the last Monday in May.