Honoring Those That Gave All

This weekend is Memorial Day, the last Monday of May.

If you didn’t already know, the day started out as Decoration Day following the Civil War.

One of the first documented ceremonies was in Charleston, South Carolina in 1865. It was to honor Union soldiers who died while in a Confederate prison camp.

The US War Department used to enclose early military graves with picket and decorative fences following the war. It was a means of marking, protecting, and keeping military grave sites undisturbed from people, as well as domestic and wild animals.

Some people even believed that iron fences helped ward off bad spirits. They were thought to provide a sacred and peaceful boundary for the departed.

As our national cemeteries evolved, these grave site fences disappeared. The introduction of fully walled and enclosed cemeteries, permanent headstones, and open landscaping created more sustainable and manageable spaces to honor those that gave all.

Thank you. We are indebted to your service and sacrifice.

Pictured: Tahoe Fence ornamental steel/iron fences and gates in Carson City and Douglas County.