Blue Star Memorial A tribute to the Armed Forces

Decatur, GA

Blue Star Memorials date to 1945, when New Jersey garden clubs lined a road with blue-star dogwoods to honor World War II service members; the idea spread nationwide as a tribute to all who have served. This Decatur marker was sponsored by the DeKalb County Federation of Garden Clubs' Redbud District with the Garden Club of Georgia. The blue star echoes the service banners families once displayed for relatives in uniform.

Atlanta, GA

The blue star of these markers recalls the service flags of World War II, when families hung a blue star for each loved one in uniform. Garden clubs launched the Blue Star Memorial Highway program in 1945 and expanded it nationwide in partnership with state transportation departments. This Atlanta marker was placed by the Garden Club of Georgia with its Dogwood District.

Stone Mountain, GA

Begun in 1945 and named for the blue-star service flags of World War II, the Blue Star Memorial Highway program enlisted garden clubs to dedicate American roads as tributes to the armed forces. Local clubs partnered with state and district garden councils to place the distinctive markers. This one near Stone Mountain was sponsored by three Smoke Rise garden clubs with the Redbud District.

Lilburn, GA

The Blue Star Memorial tradition began in 1945 with blue-star dogwoods planted along a New Jersey highway for World War II service members and became a nationwide tribute to all who have served. In Lilburn, the Ladybugs Garden Club joined the Redbud District and the Garden Club of Georgia to raise this marker. Its blue star echoes the emblem of the wartime service flag.