Blue Star Memorial Highway (Lincoln County, NE)
Lincoln County, Lincoln County, Nebraska
Marker Inscription
Blue Star Memorial Highway A tribute to the Armed Forces that have defended the United States of America sponsored by Nebraska Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. in cooperation with The State Road Department of Nebraska
Erected by National Garden Clubs, Inc.
The Story
Beginning in 1945, garden clubs across the country adopted the Blue Star Memorial, first conceived in New Jersey to honor World War II servicemembers with memorial plantings along a highway. The blue star recalls the banners families hung to mark a loved one in uniform. This Lincoln County marker, sponsored by the Nebraska Federation of Garden Clubs with the State Road Department, dedicates a stretch of Nebraska highway to all who have defended the United States.
Why it matters
Across the Great Plains as everywhere else, these markers made military remembrance a shared roadside presence, tended by local volunteers.
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Themes & tags
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