Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is often read. Memorials are dedicated on this day. Since the end of World War I, Memorial Day has also been Poppy Day. Volunteers sell small, red artificial poppies as a fund-raiser for disabled veterans. In recent years, the custom has grown in most families to include decorating the graves of loved ones on Memorial Day.
Several communities claim to have originated Memorial Day.
In 1966, however, the U.S. government proclaimed Waterloo, New York, as the birthplace of the holiday. Major General John A. Logan in 1868 named May 30th as a special day for honoring the graves of Union soldiers. He served as commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans of the Civil War. It was called Decoration Day because the general had seen women decorating the graves of Civil War heroes. His organization had charge of Memorial Day celebrations in the northern states for many years.