Memorial Day History, How Somerville Remembers: 5 Things To Know

SOMERVILLE, MA — Memorial Day is a holiday that people in Somerville and across America look forward to every year as the start of summer.

But it also gives the country a chance to look back, as the final Monday in May is a day to remember all American lives lost during military service.

Here are five things to know about the history of Memorial Day:

1. It Was Originally Called Decoration Day: Remembering veterans who died while in military service in late May dates back to 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan called for a day of remembrance to honor the Northern lives lost amid battle during the Civil War that had ended just a few years earlier, according to History.com. Logan called it “Decoration Day,” which it was known as for several years. As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, History.com reported, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

2. Local Services: The ceremony will take place Monday, May 31, at Veterans' Memorial Cemetery on Broadway between Alewife Brook Parkway and North Street.

Speaking remarks will begin at 10 a.m. featuring Mayor Joseph Curtatone, Director of Veterans’ Services Ted Louis-Jacques, City Council President Matthew McLaughlin and several members of the local veteran community. Members of the public are welcome to attend. This event will provide an opportunity for residents to come together after an especially trying year to remember our fallen heroes and honor all who serve.

The ceremony will be livestreamed on the CityTV Facebook page (facebook.com/SomervilleCityTV) and broadcast after the event on GovTV (RCN channels 13 or 613; Comcast channel 22) and on the City’s YouTube channel (youtube.com/SomervilleCityTV).

For more information, please contact Director of Veterans' Services Ted Louis-Jacques at 617-625-6600 ext. 4710 or tlouisjacques@somervillema.gov.

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3. Birthplace Of Memorial Day: The Memorial Day holiday tradition in Waterloo, New York, dates back even longer than Logan’s call for a day of remembrance. Waterloo first celebrated on May 5, 1866, as local businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags, according to History.com.

"The people of Waterloo are justly proud of this outstanding event in the history of their community," then-New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller said in 1966, when the federal government recognized the upstate village about midway between Rochester and Syracuse as the “birthplace of Memorial Day.”

Although its event is canceled for the second consecutive year due to the coronavirus, Waterloo holds a yearly two-day celebration — complete with a car show, Civil War memorial and 5K races — as a nod to the village’s rich connection to the holiday’s history.

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4. A Civil War Holiday At First: Until World War I, Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as noted above, was only meant to honor those who died while fighting for the union in the Civil War, as Southern states honored their war dead on a separate day. After the 116,000-plus American deaths in World War I, the holiday took on a new role to remember all who have died while serving in the military.

5. National Moment Of Remembrance: Every year, a national moment of remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. The midday time was chosen “because it is the time when many Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday,” according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.