Update CMP Annual Donation Appeal

Good evening, Everyone,

Save the Dates: Gray Days Saturday and Sunday, June 13th, and June 14th. Annual Point Lookout Memorial Service and Descendants Meeting Saturday, October 10th.

We hope everyone is doing well. Thank you to all who have sent their annual donation. We want to thank Bill, Bruce and Paul, who are at CMP twice a week helping us with projects and maintenance, along with all our volunteers who help when needed Pam our webmaster, Steve our Historian/Brick coordinator, Stephanie our Secretary, John, Rose, Judy, TJ, and Roslyn.

We are a little late this year sending out the annual appeal donation request because we have been waiting for a revised figure on Confederate Memorial Park Inc. insurance premium.

Since our last update, spring cleanup, mulching the gardens, and building two small sheds to cover a donated tractor and outdoor miscellaneous items (flowerpots, herbicide, wheelbarrows) have been completed.

At the Amish auction we purchased four large windows for the pavilion and have started installing them. Instead of using orange cones to keep visitors from parking on the grass, our volunteers constructed a rail fence with locust posts and tree branches, which looks much better. The spring flowers have finally appeared, and the irises are beginning to bloom. Covered with creeping phlox, the Smallpox Consolidated Cemetery is beautiful inside the fence enclosure. Two new magnolia trees donated by Vernon have been planted at the corners, and we hope protective fencing will keep deer away until they mature.

On April 23, 2026, we installed the latest Memorial Brick order at Confederate Memorial Park. If you would like to order a memorial brick, please contact Steve DeFreytas, our historian and memorial brick coordinator, at stdebay@aol.com. He will confirm your ancestor, verify that a brick is not already installed, and guide you through the process. Memorial bricks for Maryland CSA soldiers around the Maryland Monument are also available. The bricks remain $55.00, but we need a minimum of ten orders to submit to our supplier to maintain the current price. It is always an honor to install these memorial bricks.

In reviewing our insurance policy with our agent, we were informed that portions of Confederate Memorial Park were not adequately covered, resulting in an increase in the premium.

Yearly expenses: Insurance: $1247.00. Electric: $1152.00. Internet for security cameras: $1536.00. Flags: $600.00 (replaced twice yearly). Accountant (IRS tax filing): $375.00. Fuel for lawn tools: $300.00 (weed eater, leaf blower, chainsaws, etc.). P.O. Box fee: $78.00. Pesticides, bug spray, grass seed, and herbicides: $450.00. Perennial flowers, trees, bushes, and artificial flowers for wreaths: $750.00. Gas, diesel, and mulch (donated and purchased): $5500.00.

We appreciate everyone's donation and generosity. Costs have increased significantly, and we personally cover many of the expenses. Please consider sending at least a $5.00 donation for the maintenance of Confederate Memorial Park, which would not exist without your support.

This year, we will be mailing a Wooden Nickel commemorating the dedication of the Maryland Monument along with your tax donation receipt. Only 300 were made, and distribution is first come, first served.

We serve not only as chairmen but also as caretakers of Confederate Memorial Park Inc., sharing the same passion as you. The history of Point Lookout Prison Camp must endure despite ongoing efforts by some to revise Maryland's past.

Please send your annual donation to: CMP INC., P.O. Box 661, St. Inigoes, Maryland 20684.

We still have a limited quantity of Point Lookout medals and pins available. If interested, please email us.

We are usually at Confederate Memorial Park (CMP) every Thursday and Friday performing maintenance and welcome anyone who would like to help.

We also invite those interested in camping to join us during the holidays: Memorial Day (May 21-25, with a ceremony in Ridge at the American Legion on May 25), Fourth of July weekend (July 2-5), and Labor Day weekend (September 3-7).

Save the 2026 event dates: Gray Days Living History will take place June 13-14, with setup and camping from June 11-15. We have extra tents and cots available for those who would like to participate.

Annual Point Lookout Memorial Service and Descendants Meeting (October 10): This event will be held rain or shine and will include the rededication of the Benjamin Welch Owens Monument. Additional details will be shared as the date approaches.

Our website: www.plpow.org (ID: doplUser | Password: 3384Monument)

Thank you for your continued support.

If you plan to visit Point Lookout, please email us. We will do our best to be at Confederate Memorial Park to meet you and share the history.

Always for their memory,
Jim and Christina Dunbar
Chairmen, Confederate Memorial Park Inc.