Grand Army of the Republic (Berea, KY)

The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization of Union Army veterans, first formed in 1868 in Decatur, Illinois, for mutual support, for relief of war widows and orphans, and for promotion of patriotic ideals. Soon Women's Auxiliaries were formed for similar purposes. Since the founders of Berea College had supported abolition during the Civil War and promoted racial equality after the war, there were many Union veterans or families of veterans in the town and the area immediately surrounding Berea. The rituals and remembrances of the Grand Army of the Republic engaged the entire community in patriotic celebrations on Decoration Day. Many of the local veterans of the Civil War were honored at graveside by members of the local GAR, and the GAR would apply for a plaque honoring the military service of each veteran from the government. The GAR diminished as the veterans of the Civil War died out, and younger veterans from the first World War took their place in the community.