ATLANTA -- The Memorial Day holiday has roots that go back more than 100 years, but why do we celebrate each May?
There are several cities that claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day including Macon and Columbus Georgia. But the official birthplace is Waterloo, New York.
In 1865, prominent druggist Henry Welles suggested the town choose a day to use flowers to decorate the graves of Civil War soldiers. Union General John B. Murray chose May 5 when the flowers were in full bloom. The first Decoration Day was in 1866.
In 1868, Union General John Logan moved Decoration Day to May 30th and the idea caught on with other towns across the nation.
After World War I, the purpose of the day was expanded to honor ALL American soldiers who died while defending our country.
The Uniform Holiday Act moved Decoration Day and three holidays to Mondays to assure three-day weekends for many. Decoration Day was renamed Memorial Day and in 1971 it was declared a federal holiday to take place on the last Monday in May.
