Windsor to hold 135th Memorial Day exercises

Windsor to hold 135th Memorial Day exercises

WINDSOR, Vt. — Windsor is set to mark its 135th consecutive commemoration of Memorial Day on Monday, according to information provided by the town..

The event will start at 10 a.m. at the Veterans of War Memorial at Constitution Park in downtown. In the event of bad weather, activities will shift to Windsor High School’s Lois F. White Auditorium. 

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in military service. 

More than two dozen cities and towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. While Waterloo, New York was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it is difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. 

Regardless, Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor the country’s dead. It was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by Gen. John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11. 

“May 30, 1868, is designated 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, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” Logan proclaimed, according to a press release from the Windsor Memorial Day Committee. 

The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it was not the anniversary of any particular battle. 

On the first Decoration Day, Gen. James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. 

On May 30, 1883, Windsor held its first Memorial Day event. The day included special church services, a program at town hall and a parade starting from the common on State Street going to the Old South Cemetery and Military Parade Grounds and ending at the Ascutney Cemetery. 

The procession made stops at the cemeteries to place flowers on graves of the veterans of the Civil War. Over time, the ceremony evolved. Saint Francis of Assisi Cemetery was added after World War I and the graves of all wars were honored. 

Through the years, all the students in Windsor schools participated in the activities and joined the parade and procession. Town businesses were decorated by Poppy Posters sponsored by the American Legion.

Eventually, the flowers became symbolic wreaths laid at the entrance of the cemeteries and flags placed next to the graves of those serving. A stop along the bridge over the Mill Brook on Union Street was added to memorialize those lost at sea.

As change occurred, eventually the mandatory participation by the schools faded, replaced by that of the local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts as well as the high school band. The town-appointed committee charged with ensuring the Memorial Day activities continued was discontinued and American Legion Post No. 25 took the planning under its duties.

Since the dedication in 2002 of the Windsor Veterans of War Memorial Statue, the program has been held on Constitution Common on Main Street. From there, the procession lines up on Depot Avenue and, continuing the traditional, marches to the cemeteries and bridge to lay the wreaths, while flags are placed in advance by the Scouts. 

In 2003, the activities were coordinated and jointly planned through the town, American Legion, Chamber of Commerce, Windsor Downtown Program and the Windsor Scout troops. 

For more information, contact American Legion Post No. 25 Commander Doug Whitcomb at (802) 269-0035 or [email protected].