Petersburg and the true story of Memorial Day’s origins

While more than two dozen cities and towns across the United States lay claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day, Petersburg holds a compelling and often overlooked place in the holiday’s origin story.

Some trace the origins — or at least the popularization — of Memorial Day to Petersburg’s Blandford Cemetery.

In 1868, Mary Logan, the wife of Union General John A. Logan, visited Blandford Church and was moved by the decorations she saw on the graves of Confederate soldiers.

“I noticed that many of them had been strewn with beautiful blossoms and decorated with small flags of the dead Confederacy,” Logan wrote in a 1903 article for the Los Angeles Daily Times. “The sentimental idea so enwrapped me that I inspected them more closely and discovered that they were on every one of the graves of soldiers who had died for the Southern cause. The actions seemed to me to be a beautiful tribute to the soldier martyrs and grew upon me while I was returning to Washington.”

Upon returning home, Logan shared the idea with her husband, suggesting the creation of an annual Decoration Day on which to decorate the graves of Union soldiers.

As head of the Grand Army of the Republic, General Logan issued General Order No. 11 on May 5, 1868, setting May 30 as a day to decorate soldiers’ graves — a day we now know as Memorial Day.

A mosaic of origins

While Petersburg’s contributions are significant, the origins of Memorial Day are woven from various traditions across the U.S., as there are many cases of towns and cities decorating and honoring soldier’s graves before the custom was ever solidified into a holiday.

For instance, on May 1, 1865, freed African Americans in Charleston, South Carolina, held a ceremony to honor Union soldiers who died in captivity, an event that some historians recognize as the first Memorial Day. Additionally, towns like Waterloo, New York, and Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, have their own claims, with Waterloo being officially recognized by Congress in 1966 as the birthplace of the holiday.

While the exact origins of Memorial Day may be muddled, Mary Logan’s visit to Petersburg played an undeniably important role in the popularization of the holiday, and is still remembered in the city to this day.

Upcoming: Petersburg Memorial Day celebrations

Looking for something to do this Memorial Day around Petersburg?

The Petersburg National Battlefield is hosting several special programs over Memorial Day weekend:

May 23: Join park staff from 5 to 6:30 p.m. to help place flags at each grave in the battlefield’s Poplar Grove National Cemetery. Send an email to [email protected] to sign up.

May 24: At 2:30 p.m., a park ranger will lead a walking tour of Poplar Grove National Cemetery, providing insights into the history of this significant site.

May 25: Experience a cannon firing demonstration with the Artillery Crew from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., taking place behind the Petersburg National Battlefield’s Eastern Front Visitor Center.

May 26: At 10 a.m., the Knights of Columbus will host a Catholic Mass open to the public at Poplar Grove National Cemetery. A representative from the Civil Air Patrol, U. S. Air Force Auxiliary, will also provide a ecumenical prayer. Walking tours of the cemetery will be offered at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tours will be led by NPS park rangers and highlight poignant stories of the soldiers buried at the site.

May 27: Join park staff from 5 to 6:30 p.m. to assist in collecting the flags placed at each grave in Poplar Grove National Cemetery. Send an email to [email protected] to sign up.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: The true story of Memorial Day’s local origins

Reporting by Allie Pitchon, Petersburg Progress-Index / The Progress-Index

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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