From Decoration Day to Memorial Day in NYC [PHOTOS]
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[Memorial Day in the Bronx, crica 1890 / Photo: NYC Vintage Images]Memorial Day is always the final Monday in May each year, a holiday founded after the end of the Civil War. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it was originally organized to commemorate the fallen Union and Confederate soldiers. The current Memorial Day moniker became an unofficial designation for the occasion, but wasn’t actually adopted by Federal law until 1967.
Below are choice archival photos from the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library showing historic parades and celebrations. Here’s to all the heroes who helped fight for our freedoms, not able to enjoy it themselves.