June 11, 2025  

Featured Photo: Memorial Day in Gettysburg, A Historic Tradition

Commemorating Memorial Day in Gettysburg, ca. early 1900s.

Women and children reverently carry bouquets to lay upon the graves in the cemetery. Photo by Lewis Reed, ca. early 1900s.

Memorial Day in Gettysburg holds a significant place in American history, marked by a long-standing tradition of remembrance and commemoration. The Memorial Day parade and ceremony in Gettysburg is recognized as one of the oldest continuously held ceremonies in the United States. A poignant visual record of this tradition is captured in the photograph taken by Lewis Reed. This image depicts local women and children walking en route to the Soldiers National Cemetery to lay flowers. This act of laying flowers is a symbolic gesture of remembrance, a practice that continues to this day.

Gettysburg National Cemetery is the final resting place for 3,512 Union soldiers. This cemetery is not only a burial ground, but also a site of historical significance, as it is where President Abraham Lincoln delivered his iconic Gettysburg Address in 1863.

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About Reed Brothers

I am a co-owner of the former Reed Brothers Dodge in Rockville, Maryland. Lewis Reed, the founder of Reed Brothers Dodge was my grandfather. We were a family-owned and operated car dealership in Rockville for almost a century. I served in the United States Air Force for 30 years before retiring in the top enlisted grade of Chief Master Sergeant in July 2006. In 2016, I received the Arthur M. Wagman Award for Historic Preservation Communication from Peerless Rockville for documenting the history of Reed Brothers Dodge in both blog and book format. This distinguished honor recognizes outstanding achievement by writers, educators, and historians whose work has heightened public awareness of Rockville’s architectural and cultural heritage, growth and development.

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