FRANKLIN—Franklin’s Veterans of Foreign Wars on Friday installed a flagpole at Southampton Memorial Park for a memorial garden for veterans.

Veterans will get free burial plots, which normally cost $1,895, to honor them for their service, said Esther Foster, the cemetery office manager.

“We’ve got three new families already in the garden and they very much appreciate it,” Foster said.

VFW Post Commander Kevin Meyers said cemetery officials asked the post about creating a memorial garden.

“In the memorial garden, they said they needed a flagpole, so we, as the VFW, voted on it and decided to erect the flagpole for them,” Meyers said. “All of this has been done with donations and work from the VFW members.”

The American Legion will add lighting around the flagpole.

“After they get the flagpole and the lighting up, we’ll be developing that section,” Foster said.

Meyers said Friday’s flagpole installation was the end of a long process.

“We’ve been working with the cemetery on it for some time now, and this is the final thing,” he said.

Foster thanked the VFW and American Legion for helping to create the cemetery’s memorial garden.