Roswell Remembers

Memorial Day is a great time to stop and remember all of the men and women who gave their all in our Armed Forces to ensure that American continues to have the freedoms and liberties that we often take for granted.

Roswell, Georgia hosts the largest Memorial Day Ceremony in Georgia on the grounds of City Hall. The grassy lawn between City Hall and the Faces of War Memorial is a fitting location for the ceremony. My favorite part of the ceremony is the playing of the service hymns for each branch of service. It’s hard not to shed a tear or two when veterans who are normally bent with age, stand at attention proudly saluting their branch of the service.

From it’s beginnings in 1997, this ceremony has grown to over 7,000 people from all over Georgia and the southeast in attendance.

Program:
10:00 am Displays Open to the Public
10:15 am Pre-Ceremony Music
11:00 am Official Start of Program
12:30 pm Conclusion of Program
12:45 pm Food Tent Opens and Concert on the Lawn

This year’s key note speaker is Colonel Benjamin H. Purcell. Colonel Purcell was serving as the Deputy Commander, DaNang Sub Area Command, and Executive Officer, 80th General Support Group in Vietnam when the helicopter on which he was a passenger was shot down south of Quang Tri City, South Vietnam, in February 1968. He spent more than five (5) years as a prisoner of war, 58 months of that time in solitary confinement. Longer in solitary than any other American POW, Colonel Purcell was the highest ranking Army officer returnee from the Vietnam conflict and was released on March 27, 1973.

How well do you know Roswell?

Are the following statements True or False?

Roswell Georgia hosts an annual Alien Festival.
The largest Memorial Day Celebration in Georgia is held in Roswell.
Roswell has a connection to three United States presidents.
During the Civil War, 400 women and children were tried for treason and deported.
Sixteen miles of walking trails wind through the city of Roswell, including a 7-mile linear trail along the Chattahoochee River.
Paranormal Investigators have discovered paranormal activity in many of the old buildings in Roswell.
Confederate Gray, a wool and cotton blend, was manufactured in the Roswell mills during the Civil War.
The antebellum homes in Roswell were not burned during the Civil War.
The Chattahoochee Nature Center is the oldest and largest private non-profit natural science learning center in the Southeast.
After the Confederate soldiers burned the bridge over the Chattahoochee River the Union soldiers discovered that part of the river was shallow enough to walk across as they began their march on Atlanta.
Roswell King, the founder of Roswell, was not a Southerner.
The Chattahoochee River, in Roswell, was the southern boundary of the Cherokee Nation.
The City of Roswell is a “Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community” as certified by the League of American Bicyclists.
The Gold Rush in Dahlonega caused Roswell King to discover the Roswell area.
A Frenchman attempted to save the woolen mill during the Civil War by flying a French Flag over the mill and claiming that it was neutral territory.
The 43rd Annual Roswell Arts Festival will be held the third weekend in September.
Nathanial Pratt, the Presbyterian minister, protected the family valuables during the Union occupation of Roswell by sending them to Augusta and Macon without them ever leaving the family home.

Except for the first statement, all of the statements are “True.” Roswell, New Mexico is home to the annual Alien Festival.

Come discover all there is to know about Roswell at the Roswell Visitors Center – 617 Atlanta Street, Roswell, GA 30075. At the Visitors Center, view the free video, learn some more about the Cotton Mills from the new Heritage Center displays and pick up information about walking tours, ghost tours, and historic home tours that will share even more of Roswell’s fun history with you.

There is even a FREE Mill Village walking tour you can download onto your favorite MP3 player www.visitroswellga.com/roswell-mill-village-walking-tour.html

For a self-guided walking tour of the historic district, go to: www.visitroswellga.com/historic-district.html