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Memorial Day was organized shortly following the Civil War with the purpose of honoring deceased soldiers. Later, the holiday took on greater meaning as it began to include the dead from other conflicts and ultimately deceased family members. Today Memorial Day commemorates military dead, familial dead, and ancestral dead through parades, grave side decorations, and even 21 gun salutes in Federal cemeteries.
While several different stories circulate about the origin of Memorial Day, the central New York village of Waterloo has legally established its claim regarding the founding of the holiday. In 1865, Henry Welles, a local pharmacist, proposed a celebration honoring those who fought and died in the Civil War. A Union General, John Murray liked the idea and helped establish a committee. On May 5, 1866, the flags in Waterloo were flown at half mast, a parade was organized, and ceremonies where held in all three Waterloo cemeteries. One hundred years later, Waterloo gained the official designation as the birthplace of Memorial Day. |
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