President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the 1966 proclamation recognizing Waterloo, New York, as Memorial Day’s birthplace.
The proclamation followed a campaign by Waterloo residents who argued that their community had held an organized remembrance ceremony for Civil War dead on May 5, 1866. Local businesses closed, flags were lowered, and graves were decorated with flowers and flags.
Johnson’s proclamation gave federal recognition to Waterloo’s claim, but the origins of Memorial Day are historically debated. Communities in several states held post-Civil War ceremonies honoring fallen soldiers, and no single local event is universally accepted as the sole origin.
Waterloo continues to mark its connection with ceremonies and historical programs. The recognition therefore identifies an officially honored birthplace rather than proving that remembrance began nowhere else.