Blue Star Memorial Highway (San Mateo County)
San Mateo County, San Mateo County, California
Marker Inscription
Blue Star Memorial Highway A tribute to the Armed Forces that have defended the United States of America sponsored by Bay Ocean District California Garden Clubs, Inc in cooperation with California Department of Transportation
Erected by National Garden Clubs, Inc.
The Story
The Blue Star Memorial Highway program began in 1945, when New Jersey garden clubs planted dogwoods along a road to honor World War II troops; garden clubs nationwide soon took it up. The blue star recalls the service flags of the war years. This San Mateo County marker, sponsored by the Bay Ocean District of California Garden Clubs with Caltrans, dedicates a stretch of highway to all who have defended the nation.
Why it matters
It marks how a volunteer, garden-club tradition became embedded in state highway systems as an enduring form of public remembrance.
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Themes & tags
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