HistoricSiteMarkers
Postwar & Contemporary

Blue Star Memorial A tribute to the Armed Forces

Blakely, Early County, Georgia

Marker Inscription

Blue Star Memorial A tribute to the Armed Forces that have defended the United States of America sponsored by The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. in cooperation with Magnolia District of The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. and Blakely Garden Club, Blakely, Georgia

Erected by Garden Club of Georgia

The Story

Blue Star Memorials trace to 1945, when garden clubs planted flowering trees along a New Jersey highway to honor World War II service members, later broadening to salute the entire armed forces. In Blakely, the Garden Club of Georgia joined its Magnolia District and the Blakely Garden Club to raise this marker. The blue star echoes the service flags families hung for relatives in uniform.

Why it matters

These roadside tributes reflect a national, volunteer-driven tradition of honoring military service that reaches into even the smallest communities.

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Themes & tags

Military & WartimeMemorial

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