Memorial Day & The Difference Between Cemeteries and Graveyards
Memorial Day traditionally is celebrated the last Monday of May each year. It was originally called “Decoration Day”. On this holiday each year families would decorate their homes, their cities and towns and most importantly decorate the graves of Veterans.
The 12” x 18” hemmed U.S. Flag is often referred to as a Cemetery or Graveyard Flag. It is the flag put in the grave area of a United States veteran to pay honor to them for their service.
Did you ever wonder what the difference between a Cemetery and a graveyard was?
While both cemeteries and graveyards refer to places where we bury our deceased loved ones, the two are very different.
However, graveyards are typically located on the grounds of a church or place of worship. Graveyards were established around the 7th century, when churches rose to power and became the central landmark of cities in Europe. Graveyards are
Cemeteries and graveyards differ in several ways.
Graveyards are typically located on the grounds of the church; whereas, a cemetery can be located anywhere. Graveyards are typically much smaller than Cemeteries. Graveyards were established around the 7th century when the church rose to power and became the central landmark of the cities of Europe.
The oldest cemetery in the United States is located in Duxbury, Massachusetts. The Miles Standish Cemetery is named for the leader of the Plymouth Colony and is the resting place of many Mayflower voyagers. It was established in 1638.
Graveyards typically were reserved for the members of the Church. Cemeteries were large and allowed different sections for people who came from all different lands and backgrounds
Cemeteries as we know them today didn’t emerge until the 1830s. This is because church graveyards were getting overcrowded and didn’t have the capacity to handle all the burials that needed to take place. America was emerging as nation separate from its colonial roots. We developed in this period our first set of world famous artists, poets, and historian. As part of this development Cemeteries evolved as a place, not only to bury one’s loved ones, but also a place to party and picnic out of the dirt and pollution of the intercity. Trolley were built out to suburbs and carried the people from the city to the cemeteries which were located at the end of the trolley line.
One beautiful cemetery that’s worth noting is Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. Lake View Cemetery is home to Daffodil Hill, which features over 100,000 daffodils that bloom each spring. The first national Presidential monument, the Garfield monument, was erected in the 1880s inside the cemetery walls. It contained a vista which stretched through forest and parks five miles to view Lake Erie’s blue waters against the blue horizon with its puffy white clouds.
The largest National Cemetery in the United States is Calverton National Cemetery, located in Calverton, New York. It sits on 1,045 acres.
Many people lovingly decorate or adorn the burial sites and headstones where their family members or friends rest. This can include decorative grave markers, flowers, bird feeders and American Flags. U.S. Flag Maker offers stick flags in all sizes, as well as a one-of-a-kind Ground Base, called the FlyRite, that preserves the integrity of your loved one’s grave by keeping the American flag flying tall and proud all season long.
For more information about U.S. Flag Maker’s stick flags and innovative ground base, contact us here.