Elizabeth Van Lew's gravestone

Long Lasting Legacy

Elizabeth had risked her life for others freedom. She worked for what she believed in, and it paid off. Because of her sly spy work, and her crazy persona, she was able to pass under the Confederate radar to help the Union defeat the south. Although she died penniless and was a traitor to the south, she did it all in the name of freedom. When the Union troops invaded the Confederate capital, Elizabeth raised the United States Flag high in the air. It was the first U.S. flag to be raised since the Union divided. We will always remember what she did to help abolish slavery, and the huge roll she played in keeping our country as one, instead of two divided nations. Her legacy today is displayed on her gravestone:
"She risked everything that is dear to man-- friends, fortune, comfort, health, life itself, all for one absorbing desire of her heart-- that slavery might be abolished and the Union be preserved."
Elizabeth Van Lew, 1818-1900