Friends of Raymond is proud to announce that on December 12, 2024, five new fiberglass panel interpretive markers were installed on the Walking Trail and Raymond battlefield, while Raymond’s other thirty-five fiberglass interpretive markers received new panels to replace the weather-worn ones that were installed five years ago.  This $16,000 project was funded by loyal Friends of Raymond members from the states of Texas, California, Virginia, and Pennsylvania—solid evidence of Raymond’s nationwide audience of history-loving supporters.

The markers in downtown Raymond, the Confederate Cemetery, and on the Raymond battlefield describe the history of the Battle of Raymond and the archaeological work conducted on the battlefield from 2011-2016.  Additionally, there are eight nature markers on the Walking Trail describing the flora and fauna of the area.

In December of 2019, twenty-three of the forty fiberglass markers were installed in town, at the Confederate Cemetery, on the Walking Trail, and on the Raymond battlefield, with twelve more markers added in November of 2022.  But by 2024, after constant exposure to sunlight, the marker panels installed in 2019 began to deteriorate and needed to be replaced.

Friends of Raymond’s successful 2024 fund-raising drive for these markers resulted in the ordering of thirty-five replacement panels and five totally new markers, bringing the grand total to forty fiberglass interpretive markers for Raymond and its battlefield. The new panels and markers were ordered from a different manufacturer, Pannier Graphics of Gibsonia, PA, and these panels have ultra-violet coating to help ward off the harsh sunlight of a Mississippi summer.  They are expected to last years longer than the originals, and they complement the 23 blue and red metal Union and Confederate troop markers that denote the units that fought at Raymond.

The marker panels were written and designed by a longtime member of Friends of Raymond, thus, saving design costs and allowing all of the money to be directed to the manufacturing process.  This resulted in more markers for the money, and there were enough funds to have the two trash receptacles at the Walking Trail mounted on reinforced concrete pads.

Raymond residents and visitors may now enjoy a fresh new face on the forty fiberglass interpretive markers depicting both history and nature courtesy of Friends of Raymond and its supporters from around the country.

Photos by Parker Hills:
Markers Arty 12 DEC 2024;
Marker Bramon Turkey 12 DEC 2024
Markers Arty Ridge 12 DEC 2024