The celebration of Memorial Day has quite a history in Falmouth, most notably the Memorial Day Parade.
Procession routes, dating back to the early 1900’s, included Palmer Avenue, Main Street, and Shore Street. Recognition services took place at the Soldier’s Lot in the Oak Grove Cemetery, the Lawrence Academy, which was at one time the Grand Army of the Republic Hall, the Village Green, and the Old Stone Dock to recognize local sailors.
Most residents today think of the Memorial Library lawn as where we honor those that died in service of our country. In fact, it was in 1925 that the Town dedicated the Memorial Bench to 220 WWI veterans and 3 Spanish-American War veterans, and it was in 1962 that Falmouth’s Council of Veterans Organizations asked Selectmen to name the walk "Memory Lane," where they erected 13 bronze markers of local servicemen who lost their life in WWII or in Korea.
Also known as Decoration Day, many residents today may recall when a procession of young girls decorated each marker with a red, white, and blue bouquet. Above is a picture of Library staff member Carrie Aiken doing just that. Carrie happens to be a direct descendant of the Hatch family, the niece of recently deceased veteran Donald Fish, and a cousin of Clarence Milanese, one of the 13 servicemen recognized on Memory Lane.
To honor our local heroes on Memorial Day, the Falmouth Public Library is accepting and sharing photos of Falmouth residents who bravely gave their lives in battle. Click on "Contribute an Item" above to submit, and please include the veteran's name, branch of service, and the war in which they served.
Click on categories to the right to see more images and to comment on them!
We are grateful for our local heroes.