Friday, January 1, 1904
LOCAL MEMORIAL DAY EVENTSThese are among the Memorial Day events scheduled in the Chattanooga area:When: 10:30 a.m. EDTWhere: Bradley County Courthouse, Ocoee Street, downtown ClevelandWhat: City/County Memorial Day programWhen: 11 a.m. EDTWhere: Chattanooga National CemeteryWhat: Chattanooga Area Veterans Council Memorial Day programWhen: 11 a.m. EDTWhere: Trenton, Ga., Veterans Park on the Courthouse squareWhat: American Legion Post 106 Memorial Day programWhen: 10 a.m. CDTWhere: Monteagle Cemetery Pavilion, Monteagle, Tenn.What: Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9586 Memorial Day programWhen: Noon-8 p.m. EDTWhere: Lake Winnepesaukah, 1730 Lake View Drive, Rossville, Ga.What: Free admission and unlimited rides at Lake Winnepesaukah for military personnel, active and retired with valid military ID.When: 1 p.m. EDTWhere: East Ridge City Hall, 1510 Tombras Ave.What: American Legion Post 95 Memorial Day programSource: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Monday marks the 144th observance of Memorial Day, formerly called Decoration Day.
The national day of remembrance began as a call to decorate the graves of troops on May 30, 1868, by Maj. Gen. Johan A. Logan. The first major observance took place at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Local observances honoring Civil War dead had begun at least two years earlier in Columbus, Miss.
By the end of the 19th century, Decoration Day observances were being held throughout the nation.
The day remained a Civil War observance until after World War I, when the day was expanded to include all war dead. Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday in 1971, then voted "The National Moment of Remembrance Act" into law in 2000.
The law encourages Americans to pause at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day for a moment of silence to remember those who have died in service to the nation.