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| People's Wharf, 1890 |
Here a crowd gathers on People's Wharf [now Tides Tavern] with flags flying to commemorate Memorial Day 1890. Even dogs were invited. Everyone were smartly dressed for the day.
Memorial Day began in the United States as Decoration Day in 1866. It originated in the South as the day to decorate Confederate Soldiers' graves. By 1888, the name evolved to Memorial Day nationally and became the day set aside to honor and remember those that had given their lives for their country.
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| Members of the Grand Army of the Republic |
Several Gig Harbor Peninsula pioneers were Civil War Veterans. Miles Hunt (fifth from the right) settled in Artondale in 1877 with his wife and five children. He had served with the Second Michigan Cavalry regiment. His close friend from the regiment, Thaddeus Waters, also came to Gig Harbor. Joseph Goodman (standing to the right of Hunt) brought his family to the harbor in 1883. He was part of the Forty-fifth Wisconsin Regiment. They were all members of the local chapter of the GAR, a Civil War veterans organization. Their wives formed the auxiliary, the Women's Relief Corps.
Linda McCowen, Historic Photo Editor
© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.
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