Boalsburg honors tradition as 'The Birthplace of Memorial Day'
The town has long heralded itself as the birthplace of the holiday, even though the federal government recognized Waterloo, New York, by that title in 1966. Nonetheless, the community has staked its claim on the holiday.
'I've seen all of the claims of the other places and we're number one,' said Sergeant Bob Barry with Battery B of the 3rd Battery of Pennsylvania Volunteers.
Before there was Memorial Day, there was Decoration Day. That began in 1864 when three women of Boalsburg, Emma Hunter, Sophie Keller and Elizabeth Myers, decorated the graves of their loved ones. The next year, others joined them, and in the years that followed, so did other communities and the nation.
'It's not just hot dogs and hamburgers,' Barry said. 'We're honoring those people that are in front of me here in the graveyard and others that have passed on.'
Barry returns every year with his battery to pass the history and true meaning of the holiday down to the next generation of visitors.
'We fire a cannon,' Barry said. 'Start the race in the morning, fire throughout the day and then we fire at the end of the service.'
Each year, a service is held beside the Boalsburg Cemetery, focused on remembering those buried there, and across the nation, who lost their lives fighting for their country.'When you raise your head from reflecting, you will stand a little taller, hold your shoulders a little broader, and carry a feeling of patriotism in your heart that will keep you from ever forgetting the immense sacrifice,' said one speaker during the service.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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