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On the last Sunday of May, America will be celebrating one of our most patriotic holidays; Memorial Day. For many of us, this means attending parades and having Bar-B-Ques and spending time with family and friends. Do you know why we celebrate Memorial Day? Here is a brief history on this very patriotic holiday.

Back in 1865, a gentleman in Waterloo, New York by the name of Henry Welles had an idea that honor should be shown to the patriotic men and women who lost their lives during the Civil War. Wreaths and flowers were made and placed on the graves of each veteran who passed away. The townspeople embraced the the idea and a committee was formed to continue this new tradition for years to come. Two years later in 1867, this tradition of honoring past veterans was officially celebrated throughout America as “Decoration Day”.

In 1965, a committee of community leaders started plans for the Centennial Celebration of Memorial Day. The committe had two goals. First, they wanted to obtain national recognition that Waterloo, New York was the birthplace of Memorial Day. Second, the committee wanted to plan and execute a large centenial celebration in Waterloo. In 1966, exactly 100 years after the first Memorial Day was celebrated, Waterloo was recognized as the birthplace of this American holiday. Accompanied with this recognition was a grand party for all of Waterloo. Today, Memorial Day is recognized and celebrated by many communities around the country.