Pulman Obelisk
GPS Coordinates: 38.7857462, -77.0937386
Closest Address: 3519 Pike Road, Alexandria, VA 22310

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:
This monument was relocated from the nearby Mount Erin historic site in early 2022. It marked the spot where two young boys, Thomas Pulman, 13, and his brother, Samuel, 9, were killed by an accidental explosion of a cannonball on August 6, 1864. Mount Erin, which dated back to 1803, has been redeveloped. The marked was donated to the Franconia Museum by Beezer Homes.
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Here follows an excerpt from Donald Hakenson's "This Forgotten Land" tour guide:
The Pulman family, neighbors of Anne and Elizabeth Frobel, lost two of their sons, Samuel and Thomas Pulman, ages nine and thirteen, when they were killed August 6, 1864, when a cannonball with which they were playing exploded. The Pulman boys are buried in Sharon Chapel. The Pulman's had placed a memorial stone in the backyard at Mount Erin, at the exact spot where they were killed. Fortunately, in early 2023 the stone was moved and was transitioned to this new location.
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Here follows an excerpt from the Fall 2022 edition of the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:
Pulman Obelisk Recovery
When tipped off by the Virginia Hills Citizens Association and Supervisor Lusk’s office about the relocating of an obelisk marking the spot where the Pulman boys were accidentally killed in an incident involving an artillery shell that inadvertently exploded behind their house during the Civil War, the Franconia Museum sprang into action.
Don Hakenson, the Museum’s Vice President for History, immediately said “not if, but when can we pick it up?” There was some immediacy, because the site was being readied for development. The obelisk was in the back yard of the historic Mount Erin house, located in Virginia Hills. The monument weighed almost 1,000 pounds, so it would be no easy task.
Along came Joe Emrico and his wife, Lisa, to the rescue. Joe grew up in Virginia Hills and just happens to be a stone mason. He contacted Lewis Miles, who knew the Pulman family and had a vehicle big and strong enough to carry the obelisk.
But where to store it while a site was located to display the obelisk? “No problem,” Lewis said. So he and Joe and others loaded it in his truck, and took it to Lewis’ house on Telegraph Road near the Coast Guard Station.
In the meantime, the Museum began looking for a place to display the symbol of our area’s history. With the help of Supervisor Lusk’s office, the obelisk has found a home on county owned land near the bus shelter and the Virginia Hills marker on Telegraph Road. Joe and Lisa prepared the site and helped Lewis bring it to the site and install it.
The obelisk was originally installed at Mount Erin, the site where Thomas Pullman, age 13, and his brother, Samuel, 9, were killed accidentally when a shell exploded in their back yard. There is no record of when or how the deadly device arrived or where it came from. Fort Lyon, a Union army munitions site, was located nearby, where the Huntington Metro station is today.
The Pulmans lived at Mount Erin, which dated back to the early 1800s. Samuel Pulman and his wife, Frances, lived there in 1864 with their children, Thomas, Samuel, Sara, age 11, and Peter, age 9. The elder Pulman was a truck farmer who had a stand at the City Market, and operated a milk wagon in Alexandria.
Samuel and Thomas were the first burials at All Saints-Sharon Chapel nearby. A similar obelisk there marks their graves and tells of the mishap. The father and mother are also buried there. Sarah and Peter are buried in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
The obelisk was donated to the Museum by Beazer Homes, which is developing the Mount Erin site. Tony Shumate of Beazer was very helpful in making sure the transfer went smoothly. The Franconia Museum provided the plaque that tells the history of the obelisk and the fact that it came from Mount Erin. The boys’ names and the date of the explosion are recorded on the obelisk.
Supervisor Rodney Lusk, members of the Museum, Joe and Lisa Emrico, Lewis Myers, Tony Shumate from Beazer Homes and other friends of history will participate in a ceremony marking the completion of the preservation of an important piece of Franconia’s past.
Inscription:
IN MEMORY OF THE SONS OF SAMUEL & FRANCES PULMAN...
THOMAS G. Born May 25, 1851
SAMUEL Born Feby 27, 1855
Killed by the accidental explosion of a shell... August 6, 1864.
They have gone to their home in the morning of life,
From the world where the rough billow rolls:
And though sudden the summons that called them away,
In heaven with God rests their souls.