Boats, BBQs And Bargains — The Story Behind Memorial Day Most Americans Forget

Lincoln County, Mo. — Across Lincoln County today, grills will fire up, boats will hit the water, coolers will be packed, and somebody is probably buying the patio set, mattress, truck, or new grill they’ve been watching for months.

For many Americans, Memorial Day has become the unofficial start of summer.

But that is not why it exists.

Before it became a three-day weekend, Memorial Day began with grieving families, fresh flowers, and the graves of soldiers who never came home.

The holiday was first known as Decoration Day. After the Civil War, communities across the country began decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, flags, and wreaths. The Civil War remains the deadliest war in American history, and the number of dead forced the country to confront grief on a national scale.

In 1868, Union veterans leader John A. Logan called for a nationwide day of remembrance on May 30. The date was likely chosen because flowers would be blooming across much of the country, making it easier for families and communities to decorate graves.

Coverage supported by Duct Solutions Air Duct & Dryer Vent Cleaning.

That first national observance helped turn Decoration Day into an annual tradition.

Over time, the holiday expanded beyond Civil War dead and became a day to honor all American service members who died while serving in the military.

Congress later made Memorial Day a federal holiday in 1971, placing it on the last Monday in May. That change helped create the long weekend most people know today.

That is also when the meaning started getting easier to lose.

Memorial Day is not Veterans Day.

Veterans Day honors everyone who served.

Memorial Day honors those who died in service.

That difference matters.

One tradition many people miss happens before lunch. American flags are supposed to fly at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day, then be raised to full-staff for the rest of the day. The morning honors the fallen. The afternoon represents the country continuing forward because of them.

Another lesser-known tradition happens at 3 p.m. local time. The National Moment of Remembrance asks Americans to pause for one minute, wherever they are, to remember those who died serving the country.

In Missouri, that history is never far away.

Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis is one of the most important military cemeteries in the Midwest. Veterans from every American war are buried there, including Revolutionary War veterans. More than 16,000 Civil War soldiers are buried at Jefferson Barracks, making it one of Missouri’s largest Civil War burial sites.

The cemetery sits only about an hour from Lincoln County, but its history stretches across generations of Missouri families.

Missouri itself was deeply divided during the Civil War, and that history still shows up in old cemeteries, courthouse memorials, veterans monuments, and small flags placed beside headstones in towns across the state.

Coverage supported by MiniFig Empire — your destination for every set, every theme, every brick.

Here in Lincoln County, Memorial Day is not just a history lesson. It is visible in local cemeteries, veterans ceremonies, and the small American flags placed beside graves that many people drive past without noticing.

Some families will spend today at the lake.

Some will spend it around a grill.

Some will spend it standing in silence beside a grave.

And all of those things can exist at once.

Memorial Day does not mean people cannot enjoy the long weekend. It means the weekend came at a cost.

So enjoy the cookout. Take the boat out. Buy the grill.

But at some point today, remember why the day exists.

Because before Memorial Day became boats, BBQs, and bargains, it was flowers on graves.

---

Story by John Eads

Sources: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Park Service, Associated Press, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri Civil War Museum.