A Look Back
By Fred Miller
Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was orginally called, has been commemorated in Ocean City for 142 years. While the day signals the beginning of summer in America’s Greatest Family Resort, residents and visitors have always remembered America’s war dead.
The patriotic tradition dates back to May 30, 1881 when Gainer P. Moore, a local resident and veteran of the Civil War, led a small group of men along Asbury Avenue in the city’s first remembrance of America’s fallen soldiers. Moore was elected mayor in 1884, and under his leadership, the parade grew and became an important annual event. People were also encouraged to go to the mainland and decorate gravestones with flowers.
Under the headline, “Memorial Day.” R. Curtis Robinson, owner and editor of the Ocean City Sentinel, wrote the following article in the May 26, 1898 issue of the newspaper, “One of the most beautiful and sensible anniversary days of the year is the 30th of May, called Decoration Day.
“The day is not a religious holiday, but rather a patriotic, memorial, decoration day. The right way to spend the day will largely according to the individual or community’s selections.”
Ocean City’s 142-year old Memorial Day tradition will continue on Monday, May 29, 2023.
