New York’s First Memorial Day

Memorial Day, initially known as Decoration Day, originated with ceremonies in communities around the United States honoring soldiers who died in the Civil War. Several cities and towns lay claim to hosting observances between 1864 and 1867, but historians generally agree that the first widely-held commemoration took place in 1868. 

Seventh Regiment Armory, illustration, Manual of the City of New York, 1864, D. T. Valentine. NYC Municipal Library.

On March 3, 1868, General John Logan, of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former Union sailors and soldiers, issued General Order No. 11, which called for a national day of remembrance for Civil War dead. Logan directed that May 30 would be the day “set apart 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 church-yard in the land.” On May 31, 1868, the New York Times reported on commemoration ceremonies that took place the previous day at cemeteries in the region: “Our Dead Heroes. A Nation’s Tribute to their Memory—their Graves Strewn with Flowers.”   

Letter, Emmons Clark, Colonel Commander of the 7th Regiment National Guard, to Mayor John T. Hoffman, May 18, 1868. Mayor John T. Hoffman collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Searching for possible documentation of how and when New York City officials recognized or participated in Memorial/Decoration Day ceremonies led to sources in the Municipal Archives and Library collections. Stokes’ Iconography of Manhattan Island, available in hard-copy at the Municipal Library, is usually a good place to start researching events that took place during the 19th century. In this instance, however, the only entry in the index under Memorial or Decoration Day referenced the Times article from May 31, 1868.  

The Municipal Archives’ mayoral records, often given credit for containing information about every possible topic—local, national and even international—proved more enlightening. It also provided an opportunity to demonstrate the usefulness of the word-searchable indexes created by Municipal Archives employees when working remotely in 2020.  

Letter, M. H. Beaumont, Union Executive Committee, Grand Army of the Republic, to Mayor A. Oakey Hall, May 17, 1869. Mayor A. Oakey Hall collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Typically, archival material is described at the folder level, but in the 1950s and 60s, archivists and librarians processing mayoral records recognized the exceptional intellectual content of the correspondence files and typed summary descriptions of each item. When working remotely during 2020, Municipal Archives employees began transcribing the typed summaries into searchable databases. For the Record articles, The Transcription Project, Early Mayors’ Collection and The Transcription Project, Early Mayors’ Collection II described the mayoral record transcription projects.     

Searching information on the mayoral letters for the 1860s and 1870s revealed several letters that looked like they might be relevant to Memorial/Decoration Day. On May 18, 1868, Emmons Clark, “your friend and obedient servant” wrote to Mayor John T. Hoffman on stationary from the Office of the Metropolitan Board of Health. Clark extended to the Mayor an “official invitation to review the 7th Regiment on the 29th [of May].” He wrote: “The Regiment will parade on that occasion for the first time in its new full dress uniform.” Furthermore, “The Band will number one hundred performers.” And finally, he concluded, “I particularly desire that the City authorities should be first to see the Regiment in its new attire.”   

Letter, Hans Powell, Corresponding Secretary, Memorial Committee, Grand Army of the Republic, to Mayor William H. Wickham, May 22, 1876. Mayor William H. Wickham collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

A second letter from Clark to the Mayor, also dated May 18, 1868, is written on stationary from the Headquarters of the 7th Regiment, National Guard, with Clark signing as “Colonel Commander” of the Regiment. This letter served as a formal invitation. It seems likely that both the Mayor and Commander Clark would have been aware of the “national holiday,” proclaimed for May 30, and perhaps the “review” scheduled for May 29, was intended as part of the holiday.         

Correspondence the following year, in 1869, however, is more explicit in its reference to “Memorial Services.” On May 17, 1869, M. H. Beaumont, of the Union Executive Committee of the Grand Army of the Republic wrote to the new Mayor, A. Oakey Hall, inviting him “…to be present with us and participate in the Memorial Services on the 30th day of May.” Mayor Hall also received invitations from the Ninth Regiment Infantry, and 4th Brigade, 1st Division, of the National Guard, to review parades on the 27th and 29th of May.  

The New York State Soldiers’ Depot, located at Nos. 50 and 52 Howard Street, and No. 16 Mercer Street, had been established by the State government as a temporary home for furloughed and discharged soldiers. View of the N.Y. State Soldiers’ Depot, illustration, Manual of the City of New York, 1864, D. T. Valentine. NYC Municipal Library.

Further research in the mayoral records revealed correspondence from 1876 that specifically references “Decoration Day.” Written to Mayor William H. Wickham by Hans Powell, Corresponding Secretary of the Memorial Committee, Grand Army of the Republic, and dated May 22, 1876, the letter “respectfully extends an invitation to you, and the Hon. Common Council to take part in the ninth annual parade for the purpose of decorating the soldiers and sailors graves upon Tuesday 30th Inst. (Decoration Day). This being the centennial it is proposed to make this parade a grand success.” Based on the designation of the event as the “ninth annual parade,” confirms that the first event would have taken place in 1868, the year originally designated by General Logan. 

Secondary sources state that in 1873, New York was the first state to designate Memorial Day as a legal holiday. After World War I, it became an occasion for honoring those who died in all of America’s wars. In 1971, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act and established Memorial Day was to be commemorated on the last Monday of May. 

For the Record readers are encouraged to observe this Memorial Day, May 27, 2024, the 156th anniversary of the first commemoration.   

Soldiers’ Depot, Receiving Room, 1st Floor, illustration, Manual of the City of New York, 1864, D. T. Valentine. NYC Municipal Library.

Soldiers’ Depot, Dining Room, 1st Floor, illustration, Manual of the City of New York, 1864, D. T. Valentine. NYC Municipal Library.

Soldiers and Sailors Monument

On Memorial Day, May 30, 2022, New York City Council Member Gale Brewer spoke before a gathering at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, in Riverside Park, Manhattan, near 89th Street. The monument, erected in memory of the New York regiments that fought in the Civil War, served as the terminus for Memorial Day parades for decades after its dedication in 1902. In recent years it suffered extensive deterioration and in 2017 was fenced off to protect people from the cracked and crumbling stone. At the 2022 ceremony, Brewer rallied support for a long-overdue restoration of the landmark and urged the audience to sign a petition urging the City to fund desperately-needed repairs. “Our servicemen and women, our citizens, and our City deserve better,” Brewer said.

Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Riverside Park, New York, ca. 1936. WPA Federal Writers’ Project Photograph Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Six months later, Council Member Brewer’s efforts were rewarded with a $62.3 million allocation in the City’s capital budget for the restoration.

The monument is located on a promontory along Riverside Drive at West 89th Street. The Stoughton brothers, engineer Charles W. (1860–1944), and architect Arthur A. Stoughton (1867–1955), won a public competition for their design inspired by Greek antiquity. An example of the City Beautiful movement, the monument is in a cylindrical form with 12 Corinthian columns of white marble. The monument is capped with a richly carved ornament of eagles and cartouches sculpted by Paul E. Duboy (better known for his work on the Ansonia Hotel). 

Commissioned by the City of New York and the Memorial Committee of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1893, the competition was held in 1897. New York State Governor Theodore Roosevelt officiated at the cornerstone laying ceremony in January 1900. On Memorial Day 1902, with then- President Roosevelt presiding, the completed monument was unveiled following a parade of Civil War veterans up Riverside Drive. For many years the project was delayed because the City could not agree on a site for the monument. The Municipal Art Society vetoed the initial location at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street. Eventually it was sited along the axis of Riverside Drive, looking south and out toward the Hudson River, a companion structure to the Grant National Memorial located two miles north.  

Aerial view, Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Riverside Park, January 1934. Department of Parks & Recreation Photograph Collection.

In the early 1960s, the City spent over $1 million in extensive repairs to the monument, including a new roof. It was designated a municipal landmark in 1976. 

The Landmark Designation Report for the Soldiers and Sailors Monument and the Department of Parks and Recreation 2017 Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Memorial: Conditions Survey & Restoration Treatment Study can be accessed in the Municipal Library’s Government Publication Portal.

“History and dignity restored,” read the New York Daily News article on January 15, 2023, reporting on funding for the restoration in Mayor Eric Adam’s budget. Following the announcement, Council Member Brewer thanked the Mayor and remarked, “The 120-year-old monument was built to honor Union Army soldiers who fought against slavery in the Civil War and brings together veterans and civilians to remember all those who have died serving this country. The future of this memorial is bright. Restored to its former glory, it will again speak of our memory of war and the dream of peace.”   

Monument 89th Street, Soldiers and Sailors, showing scaffolding, September 15, 1927. Photo by Eugene de Salignac, Department of Bridges/Plant & Structures Collection.

For the Record readers are invited to visit the Monument this Memorial Day, May 29, at 10 a.m. to enjoy a ceremony planned in conjunction with Fleet Week, dedicated to honoring our nation’s military personnel who died serving in the United States Armed Forces. The event will commence with a musical prelude by the U.S. Marine Corps Band, followed by a processional featuring the Piper New York Caledonian Club, Sons of United Veterans of the Civil War and Veteran Corps of Artillery at 10:30 a.m. Retired Commander Peter Galasinao of the United States Navy and President of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Association will deliver welcoming remarks. Guest speakers will include City Council Member Brewer, Commissioner of NYC Department of Parks & Recreation Sue Donoghue and other City officials.