Memorial Day in Boalsburg Over Time
EARLY MEMORIES OF MEMORIAL DAY
Shadows of War: Prelude to the First Memorial Day is the story about how and why Memorial Day was first observed in the tiny village of Boalsburg, PA. Primary sources follow the people, places and events that are recorded in The Story of Our Regiment, Muffly (1904). In particular, two chapters provide descriptions written by villagers, who are also main characters in Shadows of War. Sophie Keller wrote “Sister’s Story” (1904) and Professor Patterson (Captain Patterson during the Civil War) was the author of “The Story of Company G” (1904). Other primary sources include Reuben Hunter’s Civil War Diary (1864) and his letters (1864); plus photographs and actual letters (Williams, 1862-65; Stuart, 1861- 1864) that were written home by some of the young soldiers. All of these accounts were written by town folk and published during their lifetime.
According to Sophie Keller, “Following the death of Dr. Reuben Hunter (1864), of Boalsburg, Emma Hunter, now Mrs. James T Stuart, and I went to the Boalsburg Cemetery to decorate her father’s grave. While making a cross of flowers and wreath of same, the idea suggested itself to us that it would be appropriate, considering the day, to decorate all the graves of the soldiers buried there” (1904).
One of the last villagers to tell their story of the time was Adeline (Myers) Kline, who related to Myrtle Magarel (1938) how her brother, Amos died in the Battle of Gettysburg. At that time, Adeline also spoke of a first community gathering for Decoration Day. This gathering was also recorded by Stuart (1869) as “the first Decoration in Boalsburg, May 30, 1869, at which time the only participants were: Miss Ellen Hunter, Miss Emma E. Hunter, Miss Priscella A. Stuart, Ms. Sophie S. Keller, Mrs. Joseph Moyer, Mrs. Ada Moyer, Mrs. E. Patterson, John W. Stuart. The graves were strewn with flowers without other ceremony.”
A question arises from these primary sources as to the date and the event that represents the first Decoration (Memorial) Day. Was it in 1864 when Sophie Keller and Emma Hunter first decorated the graves of the soldiers in Boalsburg, or, was it the first community gathering in 1869 as recorded by John Stuart? In Shadows of War, I chose to agree with Sophie.
MEMORIES OF MEMORIAL DAY BEGIN TO CHANGE
In the mid 1900’s, stories of the first Memorial Day began to emerge in secondary sources, mainly newspaper articles and brochures. The facts began to be augmented by guesswork and original stories began to be interwoven. One version appeared in “Boalsburg, An American Village: Birthplace of Memorial Day” (1949). In this article, the author departs from information found in primary sources by saying, “we cannot know the details, because they are lost in history.” He continues, “In conjecture we can see a group of women met at the Academy to sew or knit. Among them are Emma Hunter . . ., Sophie Keller . . ., and Mrs. Elizabeth Meyer. We can hear Miss Hunter speak of taking flowers to the cemetery for her father’s grave, Miss Keller agrees to go along and Mrs. Meyer asks to go with them. As we try to reconstruct . . .”
Through the article described above, the author’s imagination created the basis for a multitude of articles that were published in the ensuing years. Some examples included “The First Memorial Day (1952); “Patriotic Spirit High During Dark Days: Memorial Day Launched By a Few Women in 1864” (1958); Memorial Day in Boalsburg. (1964); “Pennsylvania's Boalsburg is Where Memorial Day Began in 1864” (1969); “Boalsburg’s 1st Memorial Day Traced to 1864” (1971); and, Boalsburg: The Birthplace of Memorial Day (1987). History gets tangled and it becomes difficult to separate the true facts from the imaginary story. Sometimes two stories become one. In this scenario, two ladies became three. Somehow stories change over time and that is how legends emerge.
However, there still remain some Centre County historians who honor the primary sources of information. Manchester (1995) writes, “The Centre County community of Boalsburg claims that “Memorial Day” was founded there July 4, 1864 when two young ladies decorated Civil War veteran Dr. Reuben Hunter’s grave in the Boalsburg cemetery. Five years elapsed before the custom grew to include the rest of the Boalsburg community, which it has been at ever since.” This gives credence to Shadows of War.
MEMORIAL DAY OVER TIME
Following the Civil War, life returned to normal in Boalsburg. However, the scars of war remained and the simple act of laying flowers on the graves of those who had died in the war became a tradition. In time, the village came together with a more organized ceremony to remember the valor of the Academy Boys, Company G, and to reflect on how their lives had been changed by the Civil War. Officially, Memorial Day came into being in the North on May 5, 1868 by the order of General John A, Logan, Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. Eventually the practice of honoring fallen heroes spread throughout the land. Finally, the National Holiday Act of 1971 mandated that the last Monday in May would be set aside for the annual observance of Memorial Day. Every year, on that day, the whole country pauses to remember—from the East Coast to the West Coast, from the South to the North, thousands gather repeat the simple act of laying flowers on the graves of their heroes, repeating a tradition that began with young Emma Hunter and Sophie Keller and retold in Shadows of War: A Prelude to the First Memorial Day.
MEMORIAL DAY IN THE 21st CENTURY
Each year, Boalsburg honors a history that stretches back more than 150 years, as they gather to celebrate Memorial Day with “A Day in Towne”. Tours, wagon rides, soup from the iron kettle, reenactments of the Civil War, a street fair, special exhibits, a carnival, and family picnics delight visitors. However, at 6:00 p.m. a more reverent and solemn crowd gathers on the town diamond, remembering the Academy boys who lined up there more than a century and a half before. Thereafter, a procession retraces Emma and Sophie’s path down Church Street to the cemetery. The Girl Scouts carry sprays of hemlock to decorate the graves of veterans of all wars, including that of Emma's father. As the sun is setting, the people pause to remember. Other towns may claim the honor of being the first to celebrate Memorial Day and the stories of how it began may not always be the same. But, in their hearts, the town folk know that Boalsburg is the Birthplace of Memorial Day.
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Shadows of War Booth at Memorial Day: "A Day in Towne" 2009 |
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REFERENCE LIST
Boalsburg, An American Village: Birthplace of Memorial Day: 85th Anniversary of Memorial Day 1864-1949. (1949, May 28-29). Boalsburg, PA: The Boalsburg Fire Company.
Boalsburg’s 1st Memorial Day Traced to 1864. (1971, May 29). State College, PA: Centre Daily Times.
The First Memorial Day. (1952, May 25). Pittsburg, PA: The Pittsburg Press.
Boalsburg: The Birthplace of Memorial Day. (1987, October). Historic Boalsburg: A Guide to Boalsburg Village [Brochure].
Hunter, R. (1864). Civil War Diary. Unpublished manuscript. Special Collections Library, Stuart Family Papers, 1676-1994, Accession 1986-0024H, Historical Collections and Labor Archives, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.
Keller, S. (1904). Sister’s Story. In J. Muffly (Ed.), The Story of Our Regiment (pp. 39-45). Des Moines. IA: Kenyon.
Magargel, M. History of Boalsburg. (1938, September 28- 1939, March 20). State College, PA: Centre Daily Times.
Manchester, H. (1995, May). Roots: Part XV:Memorial Day- Boalsburg. State College: Serving Central Pennsylvania, X(5), 28-29.
Memorial Day in Boalsburg. (1964, May 28). Boalsburg: An American Village [Brochure].
Muffly, J. (Ed.) The Story of Our Regiment. (1904). Des Moines. IA: Kenyon.
Patriotic Spirit High During Dark Days: Memorial Day Launched By a Few Women in 1864. (1958: July 31). State College, PA: Centre Daily Times.
Patterson, J. (1904). The Story of Company G. In J. Muffly (Ed.), The Story of Our Regiment (pp.694-711). Des Moines. IA: Kenyon.
Pennsylvania's Boalsburg is Where Memorial Day Began in 1864. (1969, May 25). Philadelphia, PA: The Sunday Bulletin.
Stuart, G. (personal letter, May 17, 1949). Pennsylvania State University, Special Collections Library, Stuart Family Papers, 1676-1994. University Park, PA.
Stuart, J. (1861-1864). Civil War Letters. Unpublished manuscript. Pennsylvania State University, Special Collections Library, Stuart Family Papers, 1676-1994. University Park, PA.
Weintraub, B. (1980, May 25). ‘Birthplace’ of Memorial Day. The Pittsburg Press Roto, p.18, 20.
Williams, E. (1862-65). Civil War Letters Received From Family and Friends- 148th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Unpublished manuscripts. Pennsylvania State University Archives, University Park, PA.
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