The West Virginia Memorial Day Parade, is an annual parade held in Grafton, West Virginia, and is the oldest running Memorial Day parade in the United States.[1][2][3]
History
Two years after the Civil War’s end, in 1867, the town of Grafton held its first parade, as a Flower Strewing Day, on May 30, a small parade and ceremony to decorate Grafton National Cemetery with flowers.[4] In 1882, the parade was named the Grafton Memorial Day Parade.[5] It kept that name until 2018, when West Virginia adopted the parade as the official Memorial Day Parade.[6]
See also
References
- ^ Nelson, Joe (2026-05-24). “Grafton Memorial Day Parade, a time-honored tradition”. WV MetroNews. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- ^ Santilli, Stephen (2026-05-25). “Thousands attend 159th annual Grafton Memorial Day Parade”. WV News. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- ^ Lamp, Jalyn (2023-05-29). “Grafton hosts one of the state’s oldest traditions with 156th annual Memorial Day Parade”. WBOY. Archived from the original on 2024-06-28. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- ^ “159th Annual West Virginia Memorial Day Parade”. Visit Mountaineer Country. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- ^ “Memorial Day Events”. Taylor County WV Office of Emergency Management. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- ^ “House Concurrent Resolution 27”. West Virginia State Legislature. Retrieved 2026-05-26.