PARSIPPANY — Experience Decoration Day 1866 with the Parsippany Historical and Preservation Society on Friday, May 20, and Saturday, May 21. Decoration Day is known as Memorial Day.
Hosted in conjunction with the Parsippany Presbyterian Church, the Decoration Day 150th commemoration will begin on Friday, May 20, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Bowlsby/DeGelleke House, 320 Baldwin Road.
Learn about the lives of Parsippany’s Civil War soldiers, their families and homesteads. Garner information about the war’s impact on local farming and industry through photos, memoirs and personal memorabilia of the era.
Chat with period re-enactors about 1860s Parsippany and converse with special guest “Clara Barton” whose Civil War hospital and nursing experiences guided her actions to found the American Red Cross.
As the evening progresses, attend the memorial candle lighting ceremony to honor Parsippany’s Civil War dead. Originally held on Decoration Day 1866, this ceremony is based on actual records and will be recreated by The Rev. Donald F. Bragg, current pastor of the historic Parsippany Presbyterian Church.
The celebration continues on Saturday, May 21, with tours 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Bowlsby/DeGelleke House. At 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., the Parsippany Presbyterian Church will host tours of their historic Vail Memorial Cemetery located at the corner of Vail Road and Route 46 West.
A favorite site of historians and genealogists alike, the cemetery predates the American Revolution and is the final resting place for veterans and citizens for nearly 300 years.
