Ramsey County History – Fall 2009: “St. Paul’s Biggest Party: The Grand Army of the Republic’s 1896 National Encampment”

St. Paul’s Biggest Party: The Grand Army of the Republic’s 1896 National Encampment
Authors: Moira F. Harris and Leo J. Harris

After the Civil War there had been annual Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) national conventions or “encampments” in many different cities. Between August 3 and September 4, 1896, the thirtieth of such events came to St. Paul, and an estimated 150,000 people attended. The authors explain some of the history behind Memorial Day, the custom of decorating graves at that time, and the origins of the GAR. St. Paul’s Acker Post, with its 600 veterans, was host for the 1896 encampment. The hotels were packed, people invited veterans to stay in their homes, several churches and colleges offered sleeping cots, and the city set up a free tent city at Dale Street that accommodated 4,000. There were parades, a “living flag” made up of children wearing red, white and blue clothing, a number of “triumphal arches,” an “army day” at the Winter Carnival and exhibits at the State Fair Grounds.
PDF of Harris article