We’ve been busy the last couple weeks rearranging displays and adding new elements. Fittingly, it’s the military exhibits that are receiving a facelift—just in time for Memorial Day weekend. It’s a meaningful way to honor the stories and sacrifices represented here.
One project that’s been taking shape—at least in thought—since before I arrived last year is a mural above the Littge exhibit in the South Gallery. We painted a cloudy sky over the exhibit, creating a backdrop where we can hang model airplanes overhead. It’s a small tribute, but one that adds depth and motion to the space, helping bring history to life.
A big thank you to Jim Lichtenegger, who painted the sky blue, and to my daughter Amanda Berry, who brought it to life with clouds. Eventually, these model planes will be replaced with larger ones to further enhance the display.
The next project was to move the rest of our military memorabilia back to the South Gallery so that it is all together.
Don’t worry—the Civil War artifacts are still here! We just haven’t finished arranging them yet. That’s also why this post is a bit shorter than usual. We still need to finalize the Civil War section and fill the gaps created by shifting the other military display items.
I’ll leave you with one final thought. While driving here today, I found myself reflecting on Memorial Day. Like many, I’ve always understood it as a time to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. But I realized I didn’t actually know how it came to be a national holiday. So I did a little digging, and here’s what I learned, courtesy of Britannica:
Memorial Day, in the United States, holiday (last Monday in May) honoring those who have died while serving in the country’s armed forces. It originated during the American Civil War when citizens placed flowers on the graves of those who had been killed in battle. The first national observance was in 1868. After World War I, the name was changed to Memorial Day, and in 1971 it became a federal holiday. The day is observed by visits to cemeteries, where flags and other items are placed on the graves of veterans. There are also parades and ceremonies. In addition, Memorial Day is considered the start of summer in the United States.
More than a half dozen places have claimed to be the birthplace of the holiday. In October 1864, for instance, three women in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, are said to have decorated the graves of loved ones who died during the Civil War; they then returned in July 1865 accompanied by many of their fellow citizens for a more general commemoration. A large observance, primarily involving African Americans, took place in May 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina. Columbus, Mississippi, held a formal observance for both Union and Confederate dead in 1866. By congressional proclamation in 1966, Waterloo, New York, was cited as the birthplace, also in 1866, of the observance. In 1868 John A. Logan, the commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans, promoted a national holiday on May 30 “for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion.”
After World War I, as the day came to be observed in honor of those who had died in all U.S. wars, its name changed from Decoration Day to Memorial Day. Since 1971 Memorial Day has been observed on the last Monday in May. A number of Southern states also observe a separate day to honor the Confederate dead.
Hope you have a great weekend. Now I’m off to fill empty spaces!