Memorial Day was first celebrated in Philadelphia at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Fairmount Park.
Back then, it was called “Decoration Day,” and was celebrated every May 30 to honor the fallen from the U.S. Civil War by bringing flowers to their graves.
In 1971, federal law designated the holiday as a tribute to all who lost their lives in service to the United States, occurring on the last Monday in May.
The city has several landmarks honoring fallen soldiers. Here’s a look at eight of Philly’s memorials to those who served.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Front and Spruce streets
After the national Vietnam War Veterans memorial was built in Washington D.C., a group of Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans launched a campaign in the spring of 1984 to honor the more than 600 local men killed in the war.
Over the next couple of years, nearly $1.2 million was raised toward construction, and it was dedicated in October 1987. Since then, other names have been added, for a total of 646.
Korean War Memorial
109 Spruce St.
The Korean War Memorial in Philadelphia was dedicated in 2002 and remembers 610 soldiers hailing from Southeastern Pennsylvania who were killed in combat during the Korean War.
Each of the four granite-clad monoliths represent one year of the war.
Beirut Memorial
Near Front and Spruce streets
Dedicated in 1985, this memorial sculpture by artist Douglas Corsini comprises an Eagle atop a globe weighed down by an anchor.
It pays homage to the nine Philadelphia-area marines who lost their lives during the 1983 terrorist bombing in Beirut, Lebanon.
Doughboys World War I Memorial
2nd and Spring Garden streets
The “Tenderloin Doughboy” statue in Madison Memorial Park remembers soldiers from the River Wards who served as WWI infantry troops sent overseas to fight.
The plaza surrounding the statue was given a major upgrade in 2012, and then rededicated with a whole new look in 2018.
World War I Aero Memorial
20th Street and Ben Franklin Parkway
Erected opposite the Franklin Institute in 1950, this bronze globe by artist Paul Manship pays tribute to the aviators who died in World War I.
The Aero Club of Pennsylvania started fundraising in 1917, and it took until 1939 for construction on the six-foot “celestial sphere” to begin.
African American War Memorial
Logan Square
This tribute, dedicated in 1934, is officially called the All Wars Memorial to Colored Soldiers and Sailors.
It commemorates the African American soldiers killed in combat in various wars, from the American Revolution to World War I. In 1994 it was relocated from an obscure spot in West Fairmount Park to its prominent position in the middle of the Ben Franklin Parkway.
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Memorial
20th Street and Ben Franklin Parkway
You’ve probably passed by these two massive marble pylons without even realizing what they were. Completed in 1927, they remember Union soldiers from Pennsylvania who were killed in the Civil War.
The monument was intended to be a gate to what was once called the “Parkway Gardens.” It was relocated in the 1950s for the Vine Street Expressway construction.
Smith Memorial Arch
West Fairmount Park
Wealthy Philadelphia Richard Smith donated half a million dollars for this monument to Pennsylvania’s Civil War heroes.
completed in 1912, the vaulting columns designed by architect James Windrim still serve as a gateway to West Fairmount Park.
This article originally published in 2022 and has been updated.
_-_DSC06753.JPG#/media/File:Civil_War_Soldiers_and_Sailors_Monument_(Philadelphia)_-_DSC06753.JPG){kind=link}