History of Veterans Day

With Veterans Day this week, we looked to see what the Museum might have in connection to the holiday. The day was originally called Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I on November 11, 1918. We turned to the WWI diaries of Robert Swanson, a member of the 17^th Engineer Division and military band. Swanson’s diaries, tuba, and other items are at the museum.

Civil War Veterans are followed by World War I soldiers in a Litchfield parade to celebrate the end of WWI, 1919.

Swanson was a meticulous record keeper, and it’s not surprising that he would later be Litchfield’s city clerk for over twenty years. Besides the daily entries, Swanson recorded his army pay, addresses of his fellow soldiers, and a detailed account of the letters he sent and received. On November 18, 1918, Swanson wrote the following entry.

“Armistice with Germany signed this morning. The French are wild with joy. We paraded around camp in A.M. In afternoon, six bands paraded and played down town. Every thing closed and it was declared a day in which to rejoice. The streets were jammed and every body happy.”

In Litchfield the following year, Armistice Day was almost overlooked. It wasn’t until the day before that plans were made. Businesses closed, free movies were shown at the Opera House, and an evening dance was held. In the following years, activities included programs in Litchfield’s Central Park, football games, parades, and various events hosted by the American Legion and Auxiliary.

As we continued to seek out Veterans Day items at the Museum, we came across a postcard of a parade on Sibley Avenue in Litchfield. On the back of the picture was written “Armistice Day, Nov 11, 1918.” Another postcard of same event included a tank surrounded by several curious little boys. As most of the US troops, not to mention tanks, would have been needed elsewhere in November 1918, we questioned the correctness of the date.

We turned to Swanson’s diary to see if his daily accounts could help us identify the images. On April 12, 1919, Swanson arrived at the Litchfield Depot where his parents met him, no doubt excited to welcome him home. Then on April 26 he wrote, “a tank came to town and the soldiers paraded.”

Turning to the local news, we found one of the newspapers called this day “Tank Day.” The whippet tank, parade, and other events celebrated the return of the local troops and promoted the fifth and final issuing of Liberty Bonds. Thousands of people were in attendance. Perhaps the crowd included Ray and Stella Dart. In celebrating of the end of the war and Armistice Day, they had purchased two horn noisemakers. Maybe they brought those horns with them to celebrate “Tank Day” as well. These horns can also be seen at the Museum.

Armistice Day became a national holiday in 1938. In 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all of the brave men and women who have served our county.