Blue Star Memorial Highway – Hamilton Township
Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Marker Inscription
Blue Star Memorial Highway. A tribute to the Armed Forces that have defended the United States of America sponsored by The Garden Club of New Jersey in cooperation with New Jersey Department of Transportation and Blue Star Memorial Highway Council
Erected by National Garden Clubs, Inc.
The Story
This Blue Star Memorial Highway marker in Hamilton Township pays tribute to the men and women of the United States armed forces. Sponsored by the Garden Club of New Jersey with the state transportation department, it belongs to a memorial program the nation's garden clubs launched in the mid-1940s to honor World War II servicemembers and later expanded to all who have served. The blue star echoes the service banners displayed in home windows during wartime.
Why it matters
It shows how a grassroots gardening movement created a coast-to-coast memorial, weaving remembrance of military service into the everyday American landscape.
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Themes & tags
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