As reported by Maurice Cole in his 1971 book “Ferndale of Yesteryear”: “Even before the village of Ferndale was incorporated, the residents of the community exhibited a strong active participation in patriotic affairs. The entry of the United States into World War I found our citizens willing and eager to assist in every way.”

Maurice goes on to say: “ The early history of the patriotic efforts of the community could not be related without the payment of high tribute to Mrs. Ethel Kinnane. Without in any way detracting from the efforts of many others who might be mentioned in this connection, it was Mrs. Kinnane who seemed to initiate and continue the efforts in the community to keep alive the patriotic fervor that was evident in the community from the very beginning.”

Much of Ferndale’s “Decoration Day” and “Memorial Day” history was literally written by Mrs. Kinnane and Mr. Cole who were there at the beginning of our memorial efforts!

MEMORIAL DAY STARTS IN THE USA

Time.Com offers a good overview of the holiday’s history as shown below (Full text available HERE).

“Originally called Decoration Day, the occasion was first marked three years after the end of the Civil War. On May 5, 1868, John Logan, head of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), the major Union Army veterans’ association, issued a proclamation from his Washington, D.C. office telling Americans to celebrate 'Decoration Day' on May 30. He urged them to decorate Civil War graves with the 'choicest flowers of springtime'.”

“Cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead,” Logan said in a speech at the 1868 event, “who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes… We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance.” (more can be read in “General Order 11” HERE).

The May 30, 1868, ceremony is considered the first national Memorial Day celebration ever to be held at Arlington National Cemetery. (In recent years, scholars, including historian David Blight have pointed out that while the tradition of Memorial Day may have caught on after the 1868 Arlington National Cemetery ceremony, freed slaves first decorated soldiers’ graves even earlier, on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, S.C.).

The event became an annual tradition, and the name shifted as decades passed and the United States fought in more wars. Congress made May 30 a national holiday in 1889. After World War I and World War II, Memorial Day became the more common name than Decoration Day for the occasion to honor the veterans of all U.S. armed conflicts. For example, in a May 22, 1950, proclamation, President Harry Truman described Memorial Day as an occasion that “has long been set aside for paying tribute to those who lost their lives in war.” And on June 28, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a bill into law designating the day ‘Memorial Day’ and dating it the last Monday in May (taking effect Jan 1, 1971).”

MEMORIAL DAY STARTS IN FERNDALE

The earliest Decoration Day or Memorial Day event found in Oakland County so far was June 4, 1869 in Pontiac. The earliest area parade found was in Royal Oak on May 28, 1916. The Tribune reports: “Memorial day exercises will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the high school and the procession, composed of the G.A.R veterans, Royal Oak lodge, I.O.O.F., and Royal Oak Rebekah lodge in full regalia, with the Boy Scouts, will march to the cemetery, where Rev. S.E. Gregg pastor of the Baptist Church will deliver an address.”

The next year, on June 1, 1917, Ferndale school children are noted to have participated in the Royal Oak Decoration Day parade and provided “a song and drill”. A colorful description from the Royal Oak Tribune can be found HERE. Ferndale was noted as “co-operating with Royal Oak” in Memorial Day exercises on May 30, 1919, and again in 1922.

At about the same time, Memorial Day really took hold in Ferndale due to the work of three organizations:

Ferndale Red Cross Auxiliary was organized March 5, 1918 to raise funds for a service flag memorializing those who were serving in World War I. Initially the flag had 44 stars, including a gold star for Ferndale’s first U.S. soldier to pass away, Paul W. Hornaday. The flag (shown below) was flown at fund raising events. Names of servicemen were gathered by door-to-door canvassing. Seventy-four names/stars were now on the flag. On Dec 10, 1918 a decision was made to pursue a marker or monument to “the boys who served Uncle Sam”. A meeting was held on Jan 4th, 1919 with the Village Commission and Board of Commerce to form what would eventually be called the Ferndale Memorial Society. On May 19, 1919 a “Welcome Home” banner was purchased and placed across Woodward to welcome returning servicemen (the first one being Corporal R. M. Lambert of College Avenue). The Red Cross Auxiliary, having completed their mission to create a memorial flag, held their final meeting on March 23, 1920 and turned over all funds raised to the new Ferndale Memorial Society.

The Ferndale Memorial Society was formed on Jan 6th, 1919 for the purpose of raising funds for the purchase of a bronze tablet on which the names of “the boys in service” might be listed. A series of “entertainments” was held to raise funds, which was difficult due to the struggling 1921 economy. The Ferndale Board of Education donated a plot of land at Lincoln School (Nine Mile & Livernois) after a 1921 request from the Society. The Society raised nearly $950 toward the memorial. They coordinated the purchase, placement, and disbursement of funds for the memorial. On Memorial Day May 30, 1927, the Memorial Boulder was dedicated as part of that year's parade (more detail HERE). The Memorial Society was disbanded soon afterward having completed their work.

The Ferndale Memorial Association was created by the local VFW post, led by Maurice Cole, calling together 15 various organizations on Feb. 22, 1927 and March 1, 1927. The purpose of those meetings was to “ascertain the attitude of the local people towards a community recognition of Memorial Day, or the perpetuation of the observance of Memorial Day and any other patriotic day”.

The VFW had organized Ferndale's first Memorial Day paraded in 1926, but asked the community to take the reins for the 2nd parade starting in 1927, thus the Memorial Association was created.

The Memorial Association was formed on the same day that Ferndale changed from a village to a city; April 4, 1927. The first offices of the association were President Maurice Cole, Vice President Mrs. C. Touzeau, and Secretary/Treasurer Mrs. Ethel Kinnane. Committees were appointed, and a successful parade and patriotic program (including dedication of the Memorial Boulder) were held on Memorial Day May 30, 1927. The Association remains active to this day.

FERNDALE PARADE KICKOFF - 1926

The birth of Ferndale’s Memorial Day parade was reported by the Royal Oak Tribune on April 30, 1926 as follows: “Plans for an elaborate Memorial Day service in Ferndale are being made by the Paul A. Hornaday Post 1407, Veterans of Foreign Wars. This year’s ceremonies will be the first formal observance of the day in Ferndale. In other years the village has taken part in the Royal Oak Township program.

A May 21, 1926 article provides more detail: “The Memorial Day parade, the first in Ferndale’s history, will include the following units: Veterans of Foreign Wars, G.A.R., Odd Fellows, Daughters of Union Veterans, Boy and Girl Scouts, Lincoln High School band, Police and Fire Departments, and a troop of Sea Scouts."

These units will leave Lincoln High School at 10 AM, Monday May 31, proceeding east on Nine Mile road to Woodward avenue, from Woodward to Pearson avenue, and west on Pearson to the Washington School where the program will take place.

The speaker has not been chosen as yet, but a good one is assured. Members of the village commission will be present in the reviewing stand.”

The event was reported in the June 1, 1926 Free Press with further detail. It was noted that the Gettysburg address was given by Miss Katherine Sampson and Commander Maurice Cole read General John A. Logan's famous “General Order 11” for the observance of Memorial Day (linked elsewhere in this story).

Ferndale’s 2nd parade in 1927 was even bigger, and followed a different route. Participating groups assembled at Wilson School, went west on College to Woodward Avenue, north on Woodward to Nine Mile Road, west on Nine Mile to Lincoln High School (where Ferndale Foods is now) where the program started at 10:30 am. The Memorial Boulder was dedicated on this day (see related story HERE). Extensive details are available in newspaper clippings of the day (on file at the museum).

PARADE HIGHLIGHTS OVER THE YEARS

1923, June 3: A Detroit Free Press advertisement talks about a "Mammoth Memorial Parade" (in Detroit) filmed by the “Metropolitan Motion Picture Co” and shown at area theatres, including Ferndale’s theatre. This film would spark interest in Memorial Day parades and be fun to find & view today! Anyone have any clues where it could be found?

1926:Ferndale's first Memorial Day Parade. Organized by the VFW (notes above).

1926:Ferndale's second Memorial Day Parade. Organized by Ferndale's Memorial Association then and still to this day (notes above).

1931: On Decoration/ Memorial Day Saturday May 30th street car service started on Woodward north of 8 Mile with specially decorated street cars in patriotic bunting. Fare was 6 cents a ride.

1934 Would be the last Memorial Day event that Ferndale’s last surviving Civil War veteran could attend. Francis Marion Sockman had been attending the events since the twenties but was infirmed for the 1935 event. He passed away Jan 29, 1938 at the age of 92. For more about Mr. Sockman see the January 2011 Crow’s Nest.

1936 First mention found of a “picturesque kiltie band” from the Caledonian Club.

1938, June: Children were invited to bring their pets to a local store to be filmed for a movie. The movie was being filmed by Hazen Coon & Harold Buck under the sponsorship of the ‘Sub-Deb’ club. The movie was said to include Ferndale Memorial Day footage and planned to be shown at Lincoln High School. Would also be fun to find…

1939: The earliest mention of decorated bicycles that we could find. The Gazette sponsored a contest. Barbara Mitch of LeRoy Ave won the girls’ first prize and Tom Ashcroft of East Troy won for the boys. They each received a $2.50 prize! Barbara’s bike had a large doll dressed to represent Betsy Ross. Tom covered his bike from “fender to tail reflector” with red, white and blue ribbons, bunting, and American flags. Dozens of $1 prizes were given to other participants by the Gazette.

1942 May 30: Memorial Day must have been particularly moving occurring so soon after Pearl Harbor Day in war time. The museum has parade programs for many years on file. The 1942 program (available HERE) is one of the best examples.

1943: Was the first time we found mention of Ferndale’s Garden Club participation in the parade. In 1943 the starting point for the parade moved west of Woodward onto Livernois at West Drayton and West Woodland.

1944: The first time an evening parade was held. Because the parade fell on a Tuesday, and due to the war production effort, organizers held the parade at 7:15 in the evening. Twilight parades would be held in 1944, 1945, & 1946, returning to AM parades in 1947.

1967: Gerry Kulick penned a moving memory of past Memorial Day parades (available HERE to read )

1969: A contest was sponsored by the Memorial Association to design a flag for Ferndale. In July of that year a winning design by Frank A. Beattie of Withington Street was picked (shown in the photo collection below). The flag appeared in the 1970 and ongoing Memorial Day parades.

1970: Saw a “bigger and brighter bicycle brigade”. There was no age limit and no theme, however a patriotic, or red, white, blue theme was preferred. Only decorated bikes ridden by residents of the city were eligible.

1972, Sunday May 28: Memorial Day Weekend found Ferndale’s Fire Department, and those from neighboring communities, busy fighting another fire at the Trading Post (formerly Hedge’s Wigwam) in Pleasant Ridge. A fascinating article is in the Fall 2012 Crow’s Nest.

1983: On Memorial Day, city officials formally dedicated the Ferndale Historical Society building (formerly the Canadian Legion Hall). The Museum is located very close to the Memorial Mall on Livernois and often hosts an open house on Memorial Day. A 1997 article (HERE) describes some of the artifacts still on display at the museum.

1987 (or so): Ferndale Police included Safety Panda and P.C. the remote patrol car that featured remote controlled blinking eyes, a siren, flashing lights, and audio speakers. Using a hidden voice the operator could pick kids out of the parade audience and talk with them about safety. Both P.C. the car and the Safety Panda’s head are in retirement at the Ferndale Historical Museum.

1999: Ferndale made history again when it was reported to be the first Memorial Day parade in Michigan with gay & lesbian representation. About 25 members of FANS, a gay and lesbian business owners’ association at the time, were approved to participate in the parade and display a banner ( but not a rainbow flag).

2000: a "National Moment of Remembrance" was created by Congress. The annual event asks Americans, wherever they are at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day, to pause for a duration of one minute to remember those who have died in military service to the United States. The 3 p.m. time was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying time off of work for the national holiday. The 'Moment' was first proclaimed in May 2000 for Memorial Day that year, and was put into law by the United States Congress in December 2000.

2012: The Ferndale Historical Society entered its first float in the Memorial Day parade to honor Ferndale’s veterans. Mannequins in various military dress adorned the float. Then President, Garry Andrews, was dressed as Thomas Jefferson.

2020 & 2021: The parade was not held due to the pandemic in Ferndale and most other communities. A small reading occurred at the Memorial Mall without a parade.

2022: The parade resumed!

PARADE ROUTES

Over the years the route was changed several times. The first parade in 1926 started at Lincoln High School (Nine Mile at Livernois), marched east on Nine Mile to Woodward, down Woodward to Pearson, and west to Washington School (Kulick Center).

From the 2nd parade in 1927 until 1939 the parade started at or near Wilson School, marched west to Woodward, north above Nine Mile to Vester or Cambourne, crossed Woodward to go past a viewing stand near Withington, south to Nine Mile and over to Lincoln High School at Livernois.

For 1940-1942 the parade started near Coolidge school, proceeded down Bermuda to Woodland, across Woodward, then south to Nine Mile and to the High School.

In 1943 the parade started on Livernois near West Drayton, proceeded east to Woodward, south to Nine Mile then to the High School. The parade has been mustering on Livernois north of Nine Mile ever since!

In 1956 the route changed to end at the new Memorial Mall on Livernois. The map below shows the route used from 1960 thru 2022 (no parade in 2020 & 2021 due to the pandemic).

In 2023 the route changed due to major construction on Woodward. The parade started on Livernois near Breckenridge, went north on Livernois to Oakridge, west to Pinecrest, south to Nine Mile, east to Livernois and into the Memorial Mall. The same route was used for 2024.

FERNDALE MEMORIAL DAY MYTHS

Is Ferndale’s parade the oldest in the country, state, or county? No. For example, Detroit events started in 1868 (earliest parade photo found was 1895, lots of history HERE), Pontiac in 1869, Dearborn in 1919 (earliest parade found was 1921 as shown HERE), and Royal Oak in 1923.

Did a Civil War veteran ever attend the parade? Yes, Francis Marion Sockman, Ferndale’s last Civil War veteran attended the parade frequently until 1934. He proudly served the Union and was an honorary member of the Paul W. Hornaday VFW post until his death on Jan 29, 1938.

Is Ferndale’s the “oldest continuous memorial parade” ? No. Not oldest (see above) and not continuous. Like most other parades, it was not held in 2020 & 2021 due to the pandemic (although a small service was held each year but there was no parade).

Did Dwight D. Eisenhower join a Ferndale Memorial Day parade? No record found. Noted in a Crow’s Nest article to be 1956 – but no evidence has been found. Ike was in Detroit in June 1952, Oct 1, 1952, and Oct 24 1952, but no mention of traveling up Woodward or anywhere near Ferndale. Museum photos of MacArthur were incorrectly identified as “Ike” so perhaps this created some confusion.

Did General Douglas MacArthur join a Ferndale Memorial Day parade? No. The General’s motorcade drove from Lansing, escorted by Michigan State Police, through Ferndale on Friday May 16, 1952. The Motorcade approached Ferndale from the South, up Woodward after events in Detroit. General MacArthur addressed the city at 4:45 that day from an area setup in the Woodward median just north of Nine Mile. Ferndale city and school dignitaries were on hand as well as the Lincoln High School band. General MacArthur’s visit was separate from the Memorial Day parade which was held two weeks later on Friday May 30th

Is 2024 the 106th Ferndale Memorial Parade? No. The parade started in 1926, and skipped 2020 & 2021 making 2024 the 97th Memorial Parade in Ferndale.

A PARADE OF PHOTOS

Below are an assortment of photos from the Museum in chronological order - enjoy!

AN IMPORTANT HISTORY AND FUTURE

Ferndale’s Memorial Day traditions predate the founding of the city. Many people and groups have worked hard over the past century to keep the events respectful, reverent, and a solemn reminder of the price so many have paid for freedom. The monuments at the Memorial Mall, and at Machpelah Cemetery, combined with the resources of the Memorial Association, Veterans’ organizations, and Ferndale's Historical Society will hopefully always remind us of the lives lost.

SEE ALSO….

The history of memorials in Ferndale is HERE.

Other parades & festivals in Ferndale is HERE.

Detroit Photo Collection: The Detroit news offers a fascinating collection of Memorial Day photos from past Detroit events HERE!

If you have photos or memories to add please contact the museum at: info@ferndalehistoricalsociety.org