Elleda Wilson: Who's first?
May 26—Actually, Gen. Logan's 1868 day of remembrance of the Civil War dead wasn't the first one. Many believe the first one was actually on April 26, 1866, in Columbus, Mississippi (pictured). The Ladies Memorial Association visited the Columbus cemetery that day to only honor fallen Confederate soldiers. Women all over the country were urged to do the same, via a letter from the group's secretary that appeared in newspapers nationally.
Almost 25 other places claimed first Memorial Day honors, but President Lyndon Johnson put a stop to the confusion in 1966 by declaring Waterloo, New York, the birthplace of Memorial Day (which at the time, was still called Decoration Day as often as not). The reason? Their Civil War memorial on May 5, 1866 (yes, it was a little later than the Columbus ladies' event) was not just a one-off, it was the beginning of what became an annual community event.
After World War I, the meaning of Memorial Day was expanded to include honoring all Americans who died in all American wars, and May 30 was the date most states still used. In 1971, the name officially became Memorial Day, and it was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress. Since federal holidays were mandated to take place on Mondays, the date for Memorial Day was changed to the last Monday in May. (Photo: Columbus State University Archives)
