Pam Holley, Sally Holley, Ted Polk, Ronnie Sale and Dorcheat Historical Association Museum 
director, Schelley Brown took time out Thursday morning to do their part for Memorial Day. The combined efforts of the group to clean up made headway with one of 
Minden’s oldest cemeteries located near Victory Park. The Fuller-Murrell Cemetery was in need of major clean up efforts and within just a few hours this mission was accomplished to improve the area. More work is expected in the next few weeks to preserve this part of Minden and its history. To make it more available 
and presentable, to anyone wishing to pay respects to some of Minden’s earliest and most influential pioneer families is important to these history buf
fs.
Brown stated, “We want to preserve this history and if by simply cleaning and cutting some trees can insure that then that is what must be done. Research on the Fuller-Murrell families is very extensive and the importance of this cemetery must not be forgotten. In fact a possible smaller version of The Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk may eventually take place in this very spot. These people that are buried here with and wit
hout grave markers played important parts in Claiborne and Webster Parish history and have a right to be remembered and honored. Several veterans are buried in this hallowed ground without markers and so it is for these men and pioneers that we come to do our part in this small way of honoring them. We will work on getting a marker at a later date through the Veterans Administration in the same way th
e markers were placed at the Civil War “Trench” in the Old Minden Cemetery. This is a long process but I have already spoken to Barry Watson whom was instrumental in the work that was done at the Minden Cemetery.”Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time set aside to honor the nation's Civil War dead by decorating their grav
es. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers. On May 5, 1868, Logan declared in General Order No. 11 that:The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as cir
cumstances may permit.During the first celebration of Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.
This 1868 celebration was inspired by local observances of the day in several towns throughout America
that had taken place in the three years since the Civil War. In fact, several Northern and Southern cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, including Columbus, Miss.; Macon, Ga.; Richmond, Va.; Boalsburg, Pa.; and Carbondale, Ill.In 1966, the federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon Johnson, declared Waterloo, N.Y., the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They chose Waterloo—which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—because the town had made Memorial Day an annual, community-wide event during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.
By the late 1800s, many communities across the
country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day and, after World War I, observances also began to honor those who had died in all of America's wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. (Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor all veterans, living and dead, is celebrated each year on November 11.)Today, Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Cem
etery with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Also, it is customary for the president or vice-president to give a speech honoring the contributions of the dead and lay a wreath at the Tomb of th eUnknown Soldier. About 5,000 people attend the ceremony annually.Several Southern states continue to set aside a special day for honoring the Confederate dead, which is usually called Confederate Memorial Day. If you would like to help take care of an area of the Minden Cemetery or the Fuller-Murrell Cemetery you can contact Schelley Brown at 318-423-0192.
