History of Memorial Day Timeline

(1868 - Present)

Memorial Day is a U.S. federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May, dedicated to honoring the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Its origins trace back to the years following the American Civil War, when communities began decorating the graves of fallen soldiers. Originally known as Decoration Day, it gradually became known as Memorial Day, was officially proclaimed in 1968, and became a federal holiday in 1971. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Early Commemorations

First Civil War soldier's grave decorated in Warrenton, Virginia

Jun 3, 1861

According to a 1906 article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the first Civil War soldier's grave to be decorated was in Warrenton, Virginia, on June 3, 1861. The decoration was for the funeral of John Quincy Marr, the first soldier killed during the Civil War, who died on June 1, 1861, during a skirmish at the Battle of Fairfax Courthouse in Virginia.

Gettysburg cemetery dedication includes commemoration ceremony

1863

The 1863 cemetery dedication at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, included a ceremony of commemoration at the graves of dead soldiers, an early precedent for honoring fallen soldiers with organized ceremonies.

Ladies decorate soldiers' graves in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania

Jul 4, 1864

On July 4, 1864, ladies decorated soldiers' graves according to local historians in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. However, no published reference to this event has been found earlier than the printing of the History of the 148th Pennsylvania Volunteers in 1904, and the original story did not account for Reuben Hunter's death occurring two months later on September 19, 1864. The town now claims that the original decoration was on one of the Sundays in October 1864.

Extensive commemorations follow Lincoln's assassination

Apr 1865

In April 1865, following Lincoln's assassination, commemorations were extensive across the nation as communities gathered to mourn and honor the war dead.

Freed Black community honors Union dead in Charleston parade

May 1, 1865

On May 1, 1865, in Charleston, South Carolina, the recently freed Black population held a parade of 10,000 people to honor 257 dead Union soldiers. However, no direct link has been established between this event and General John Logan's 1868 proclamation for a national holiday.

Image source: Memorial Day

National Recognition

United States National Cemetery System established

1865

In 1865, the federal government began creating the United States National Cemetery System for the Union war dead. By 1870, the remains of nearly 300,000 Union dead had been reinterred in 73 national cemeteries, located near major battlefields and thus mainly in the South.

Image source: United States National Cemetery System

General John Logan speaks on observances in Salem, Illinois

Jul 4, 1866

General John Logan commented on the observances in a speech to veterans on July 4, 1866, in Salem, Illinois, helping build momentum toward a national day of remembrance for fallen soldiers.

Image source: John A. Logan

General Logan proclaims May 30 as national Decoration Day

May 5, 1868

On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan issued a proclamation to the Grand Army of the Republic calling for the observance of May 30, 1868, establishing what would become Memorial Day.

First national observance of Decoration Day

May 30, 1868

The first national observance of what would become Memorial Day occurred on May 30, 1868. In 1868, memorial events were held in 183 cemeteries in 27 states, and 336 cemeteries held events in 1869.

New York makes Decoration Day an official state holiday

1873

Official recognition as a holiday spread among the states, beginning with New York in 1873, which made Decoration Day an official state holiday. By 1890, every northern state had followed suit, and every state had adopted it by 1890.

President Johnson declares Waterloo birthplace of Memorial Day

May 26, 1966

On May 26, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson officially recognized Waterloo, New York, as the birthplace of Memorial Day, lending presidential recognition to the town's long tradition of honoring fallen soldiers.

Image source: Waterloo, New York

Federal law declares 'Memorial Day' the official name

1967

Although "Memorial Day" gradually became more common than "Decoration Day" after World War II, it was not declared the official name by federal law until 1967.

Southern Traditions

Early Southern Memorial Day precedents in three states

1865

Records show that by 1865, Mississippi, Virginia, and South Carolina all had precedents for Memorial Day. The earliest Southern Memorial Day celebrations were simple, somber occasions for veterans and their families to honor the dead and tend to local cemeteries.

Sue Landon Vaughan decorates soldiers' graves in Jackson, Mississippi

Apr 26, 1865

On April 26, 1865, in Jackson, Mississippi, Sue Landon Vaughan decorated the graves of Confederate and Union soldiers, according to her account. Mention of this observance is inscribed on the southeast panel of the Confederate Monument in Jackson, erected in 1891.

Mary Williams' open letter proposes annual Southern holiday

Mar 11, 1866

Mary Ann Williams, who as association secretary wrote an open letter to the press on March 11, 1866, asking for assistance in establishing an annual holiday to decorate the graves of soldiers throughout the South. The date of April 26 was chosen, which corresponded with the end date of the war with the surrender agreement between Generals Johnston and Sherman in 1865.

Four women decorate graves at Friendship Cemetery, Columbus, Mississippi

Apr 25, 1866

Following Mary Williams' call for assistance, four women of Columbus, Mississippi, gathered together a day early on April 25, 1866, at Friendship Cemetery to decorate the graves of the Confederate soldiers.

Southern figures label commemorations 'Confederate'

1868

In 1868, following Logan's proclamation to the Grand Army of the Republic to observe May 30, 1868, some Southern public figures began adding the label "Confederate" to their commemorations and claimed that Northerners had appropriated the holiday. The earlier version of the holiday began to be referred to as Confederate Memorial Day.

Image source: Confederate Memorial Day

Southern figures label commemorations 'Confederate'

Georgia proclaims first official Confederate Memorial Day

1874

The first official celebration of Confederate Memorial Day as a public holiday occurred in 1874, following a proclamation by the Georgia legislature. By 1916, ten states celebrated it, on June 3, the birthday of CSA President Jefferson Davis.

Modern Observances

Brooklyn holds first annual Memorial Day parade

1867

Since 1867, Brooklyn, New York, has held an annual Memorial Day parade which it claims to be the nation's oldest. The Memorial Day parade in Rochester, Wisconsin, also predates the Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Grafton and Ironton parades by one year (1867).

Grafton and Ironton begin ongoing Memorial Day parades

1868

Grafton, West Virginia (West Virginia Memorial Day Parade), and Ironton, Ohio, have had an ongoing parade since 1868, making them among the oldest continuously running Memorial Day parades in the nation.

Name 'Memorial Day' first used

1882

The name "Memorial Day", which was first used in 1882, gradually became more common than "Decoration Day" after World War II but was not declared the official name by federal law until 1967. An 1884 GAR handbook explained that Memorial Day was "the day of all days" in the G.A.R.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway race sparks GAR opposition

1911

In 1911, the scheduling of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway car race, later named the Indianapolis 500, on Memorial Day was vehemently opposed by the increasingly elderly GAR. In 1913, an Indiana veteran complained that younger people born since the war showed a tendency to forget its meaning, and in 1923, the Indiana state legislature rejected holding the race on the holiday.

Image source: Indianapolis 500

Blue-Gray Reunion held in Washington, D.C

1913

In the national capital in 1913, the four-day "Blue-Gray Reunion" featured parades, re-enactments, and speeches from a host of dignitaries, including President Woodrow Wilson, the first Southerner elected to the White House since the War. By 1913, David Blight argues, the theme of American nationalism shared equal time with the Confederate theme.

John McCrae writes poem "In Flanders Fields"

May 1915

In 1915, following the Second Battle of Ypres, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a physician with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, wrote the poem "In Flanders Fields", which inspired the use of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance. The American Legion adopted the poppy as its official symbol of remembrance in 1920.

Image source: In Flanders Fields

Congress passes Uniform Monday Holiday Act

Jun 28, 1968

On June 28, 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which changed Memorial Day's observance from May 30 to the last Monday in May, moving four holidays to specified Mondays in order to create three-day weekends. Congress also standardized the holiday's name as "Memorial Day."

Image source: Uniform Monday Holiday Act

Uniform Monday Holiday Act takes effect federally

Jan 1, 1971

The Uniform Monday Holiday Act took effect at the federal level in 1971, standardizing Memorial Day's observance on the last Monday in May and creating the three-day weekend associated with the modern holiday.

Congress passes National Moment of Remembrance Act

2000

In 2000, Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act, asking Americans to pause at 3:00 pm local time on Memorial Day to stop and remember those who have died in service to the nation.

Key Facts

Memorial Day originated as 'Decoration Day' after the American Civil War, first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to decorate the graves of fallen Union and Confederate soldiers.
General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic issued General Order No. 11 on May 5, 1868, establishing a national day of remembrance for Civil War dead.
The holiday was renamed Memorial Day over time and expanded to honor all Americans who died in military service, not just those from the Civil War.
In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, moving Memorial Day to the last Monday in May; it took effect in 1971 as an official federal holiday.
Traditions include flying the American flag at half-staff until noon, visiting cemeteries and memorials, and the National Moment of Remembrance at 3:00 p.m., established by Congress in 2000.

Source

This History of Memorial Day timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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