History of Memorial Day: Where did it Begin?
HISTORY OF MEMORIAL DAY: BOALSBURG, PA
HISTORY OF MEMORIAL DAY: BOALSBURG, PAThe city of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, an American village on the National Historic Register, claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, as do at least 24 other towns in America. I first visited this hamlet near State College, home of Penn State University, decades ago. Boalsburg’s claim goes back to a practice at the end of the Civil War. The town has a local museum and a history stretching over two centuries. The 19th-century feel of the village persists. A Memorial Day Festival is held there every year.
They have their own Facebook page and their own website.
Memorial Day Custom
Its claim is stated on a large sign near the center of town:
An American village on the National Register
BIRTHPLACE OF MEMORIAL DAY
The custom of decorating soldiers’ graves was begun here in October 1864, by Emma Hunter, Sophie Keller, and Elizabeth Myers.
Named for David Boal who settled here in 1798. Village laid out in 1808. Boalsburg Tavern built in 1819. Post Office established 1820. First church erected 1827. Home community of three United States ambassadors.
First Memorial Day Claim
Boalsburg Map, from Penn State
Is this claim valid? It appeared to be when I first visited it. It had the earliest grave decorations. However, in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, New York, the official “birthplace” of the holiday, according to the Veterans Administration.
Furthermore, in 2014 the book The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America asserts that the Boalsburg story first appeared in publication in 1904, some forty years after the claimed fact. And there was:
“no indication that General Logan drew inspiration from any activities in Boalsburg and no evidence that it started the holiday.”
However, it should be noted that the authors of this book are from Columbus State University.
Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com
Thank you for doing the work of compiling this valuable information. I use it on various holidays to share true meaning with my children. I will share this today in hopes of teaching them to respect and honor our soldiers whenever they meet them.
Thank you for all of your work.
Good Morning Sir, Once again I thank you for an informative and entertaining read. Memorial Day is a somber one here in the crypt, felt on a very personal level. Its a deep heavy sadness that sits on my heart and whispers names I’ll never forget. So many. And I still don’t understand why.