The Memorial Day service is one of the long-standing traditions at Shiloh National Cemetery. Since before the park was established in 1894, locals and veterans have met each year at the cemetery to remember and memorialize. Although different in makeup, each service through the years has included the basics of well-known speakers, patriotic songs, and nationalistic poetry. The 1914 Memorial Day services ended with a moving rendition of “Home Sweet Home.” Another of the marks of continuity in the Shiloh services is the emphasis on people. Event organizers as far back as the 1890s tried to use people to provide an interesting, informative, and moving service. Local church choirs have almost annually sung at the event. Veterans, just as today, have often been spotlighted for their services. On Memorial Day in 1907, sixty-five aged members of the 21st Missouri returned to the battlefield and were honored guests. And just as today, orators ranging from governors to judges to former generals have spoken eloquently about the need to remember the sacrifice of our nation’s war dead.
For the most up-to-date hours and information, please contact Annual Memorial Day Service directly.
