History Museum on the Square

The History Museum on the Square wishes everyone a meaningful and restful Memorial Day.

Celebrating Memorial Day is a long-standing tradition. Previously called Decoration Day, the first nationwide celebration was held on May 30th, 1868.

Communities honored fallen veterans by decorating soldiers' graves with spring flowers, wreaths, and flags. The first few Decoration Days honored Civil War veterans, but has since grown to include all fallen service members.

Springfield's first Decoration Day ceremony included a speech by prominent Springfield politician Sempronious H. Boyd, and celebrations and ceremonies continued every year since. This photo shows a Decoration Day celebration on the Springfield Square in 1914.

As you celebrate with your friends and family during this long weekend, we hope you take time to reflect on the sacrifice of our fallen veterans. From the History Museum on the Square: Thank you for your service, Veterans.

https://www.pbs.org/national-memorial-day-concert/memorial-day/history/

https://www.greenecountyhistoricalsociety.com/historical-timeline

As spring transitions to summer and students celebrate school being out, residents of Greene County are spending more time outdoors. However, with scattered thunderstorms in the forecast this memorial day weekend, many of us are yearning for sunshine and reminiscing on summers past.

This photo from 1923 shows a crowd of people at Doling Lake's old diving tower, which was clearly a popular attraction. If you are planning a lake day for next weekend, please dive carefully!