Petersburg and the True Story of Memorial Day's Origins

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 t…

A Marine’s Memorial Day message: Don’t forget the price

This weekend, we observe Memorial Day, a national day of remembrance first established by General John A. Logan’s “General Order No. 11,” issued on May 5, 1868, by the Grand Army of the Republic. The order declared:The 30th day of May 1868 is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers and otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies lie in almost every city,…