In 2006-2007, the National Memorial Day Museum, just a short walk from the Cayuga/Seneca Canal in Waterloo, NY, underwent a complete make-over of its interpretive exhibits to better tell the story of the history of Memorial Day to a national audience. Waterloo is the only federally recognized birthplace of Memorial Day and we are proud to interpret this somber and reflective holiday for the many visitors who visit the museum and our beautiful Finger Lakes location.

Visitors are immersed in a story that was born out of the unimaginable death toll of the Civil War and are taken, room by room, panel by panel through the story of the origins of Memorial Day; those responsible for its founding in Waterloo in 1866; and the changing face and meaning of this somber holiday down to the 20th century.

This May, we will be having a grand opening of our newest exhibit entitled “One Family, One Scrapbook:  A WWI Story of Courage and Sacrifice” that focuses on the experiences and death of a local boy in the famous rescue of the “Lost Battalion” in the Argonne Forest of France.

Waterloo, although small in size, possesses an intense patriotic community spirit that was evident in the early 19th century and continues to flourish.  The National Memorial Day Museum is a “must-see” for visitors coming to the Finger Lakes Region.

National Memorial Day Museum