Memorial Day has deep roots in Delaware as honor to fallen soldiers
“Memorial Day was very quiet in Milford this year,” the Milford Chronicle reported on June 1, 1928. “In the morning a detachment from Battery F, Delaware Anti-Aircraft Regiment, paraded to Odd Fellows’ cemetery, where exercises were held for the departed soldiers. Squads of American Legion members spent the morning decorating graves of soldiers.”
Memorial Day has roots back to Civil War
Memorial Day was founded by the veterans of the Civil War, and it was originally created to set aside a day to mark the graves of the Union soldiers who succumbed in the conflict between the North and the South.
The Grand Army of the Republic (G. A. R.). had traditionally placed flowers and small flags on the graves. The G. A. R. was formed by veterans of the Union Army after the Civil War. By 1928, there were so few Civil War veterans still living that the American Legion, organized by veterans of World War I, assumed the responsibility of decorating the soldiers’ graves.
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Memorial Day in Delaware a time for baseball and races
In past years, there had been parades and baseball games in Milford, but in 1928, there were none. Some Milford residents went to a baseball game at Milton, others attended the races at Harrington, and according to the Milford Chronicle, “The automobilists spent the day on Delaware’s excellent highways and in this manner passed a very enjoyable Memorial Day.” With sports fans out of town and motorists enjoying a pleasant time driving the Delaware countryside, Memorial Day was indeed quiet in Milford. In Rehoboth, it was a different story.
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Rehoboth Beach held much more elaborate Memorial Day festivities
For Rehoboth Beach, the years that followed World War I were truly the Roaring 20s. During that decade, the booming economy enabled the resort to overflow its bounds on the north toward Cape Henlopen and southward toward Dewey Beach.
In 1925, a paved road linked Rehoboth with the du Pont Boulevard. So many people drove to Rehoboth Beach that the passenger train service that once carried the majority of the resort’s visitors was discontinued. The resort’s growth enabled Rehoboth to stage a more elaborate Memorial Day.
In the days before the institution of Monday holidays, Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30, and in 1928, that date fell on a Wednesday. Despite the mid-week holiday and chilly weather, hotels and rooming houses hosted more guests than expected to take part in the festivities.
The holiday celebration began at 1:15 p.m. with a parade down Rehoboth Avenue. The parade included a band, decorated cars, a variety of floats and the apparatus of the Rehoboth Beach Fire Company. First prize for the best decorated float was awarded to plumber Raymond Wilson, whose unique float, according to the Delaware Coast News, was “equipped with bathroom fixtures [and] was very attractive.”
The parade was followed by speeches, a baseball game and an “Athletic Carnival” on the beach with a variety of foot races and a pie eating contest.
The eternal problem in Rehoboth Beach? The hunt for parking
While Milford motorists enjoyed a pleasant ride exploring the Delaware countryside, drivers at Rehoboth spent much of the time looking for places to park. Delaware Coast News reported “All during the day cars from every town in Delaware and from about 18 different states rolled into the resort. Every bit of available parking space was utilized.”
Nearly a century ago, Milford’s Memorial Day commemoration was dignified and quiet. Rehoboth’s celebration was more exuberant, but both towns honored the fallen soldiers in their own way.
Principal sources
Milford Chronicle, June 1, 1928.
Delaware Coast News, June 2, 1928.
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Memorial Day has deep roots in Delaware as honor to fallen soldiers
