Event
Memorial Day Commemoration
Fee:
Free.Location: LAT/LONG: 39.377190, -77.395390
Monocacy National Battlefield Visitor Center
Dates & Times
Date:
Time:
Duration:
There will be a moment of silence at 3 pm.
Description
Please Note:
After thoughtful conversation and careful consideration, we have decided not to conduct the annual display of flags at the park on Memorial Day weekend. Instead, we developed new programming to focus on the significance of Memorial Day.
In 2009, the park began placing 1,300 35-star United States flags and 900 Confederate “Second National” flags outside the Visitor Center on Memorial Day Weekend to commemorate the 2,200 casualties of the Battle of Monocacy. The intent of the display was to acknowledge the full loss of life during the battle.
We recognize that the use of the Confederate flag, in its many forms, is a controversial symbol tied to racism and divisiveness in our nation’s history. As our nation continues to confront racism and injustice, there has been an important national dialogue about how we remember and represent controversial figures and events. Over the past several years, the use of the Confederate flag in the display has increasingly become a distraction from the intended purpose of Memorial Day. In accordance with NPS policy, we will continue to use Confederate flags in interpretive programming when and where they are appropriate and contribute to meaningful conversation and understanding of the complexities of our shared history.
Across the country, the NPS preserves and interprets sites that have painful histories, including Monocacy National Battlefield. These places provide spaces and context to have conversations about our nation’s history and our values today.