On Saturday, May 27, members of the Spencerport Council 7707 of the Knights of Columbus went to Mt. Olivet Cemetery on East Canal Road in Brockport and placed flags on the graves of those men and women who served our country in the military, in honor of Memorial Day. Many of those graves that had flags placed on them were members of the service who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives for our freedom.
Memorial Day, formerly Decoration Day, in the United States, honors those who have died in the nation’s wars. It originated during the American Civil War when citizens placed flowers on the graves of those who had been killed in battle. By congressional proclamation in 1966, Waterloo, New York, was cited as the birthplace of the observance in 1866. Two years later, in 1868, John A. Logan, the commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans, promoted a national holiday on May 30 “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.” After World War I, as the day came to be observed in honor of those who had died in all U.S. wars, its name changed from Decoration Day to Memorial Day. Since 1971, Memorial Day has been observed on the last Monday in May.
The Spencerport Council of the Knights of Columbus serves the communities of Northwestern Monroe County which includes the villages and surrounding areas of Spencerport, Brockport, Churchville, Chili and parts of Hamlin and Gates.
Provided information and photos
