05-22-2020, 02:56 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: ABQ, New Mexico
Posts: 36,633
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Many communities throughout the United States held memorial gatherings in the 19th century, and many towns lay claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. But only one town has been declared the official birthplace of the holiday. That would be Waterloo, New York, which the federal government declared in 1966 to be the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Waterloo first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866. The town was selected because it hosted an annual event during which businesses closed and residents adorned the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.
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