Marion County Historical Society – Julia Pierpont Day

10:00 am – Noon

First Lady Julia Pierpont, the wife of Francis H. Pierpont who was the First Governor of Restored Virginia and the “Father of West Virginia”, is famous in her own right. She is credited as the originator of Decoration Day now known as Memorial Day as proclaimed by the City of Fairmont, the Marion County Commission and the State of West Virginia’s Governor James Manchin, III. The Saturday before Memorial Day has been set aside as Julia Pierpont’s Day.
Following the Civil War, Julia Pierpont, her friend and the school children honored the Union Soldiers who lost their lives in the war by laying flowers on the graves. The Marion County Historical Society begins its memorial ceremony on the lawn of its Museum with Music by the group WHA-KE-WE-NN and reading of the three Proclamations of Julia Pierpont Day. Two honor guards, the VFW and the Marion County Civil War Reenactors, present arms with the firing of the salute. From here, there is automobile procession to the Woodlawn Cemetery (which is on the National Register of Historic places) to place wreaths/flowers on the graves of Julia Pierpont, Francis H. Pierpont and Boaz Fleming. Some choose to proceed to the Historic City Grave Yard and the Confederate graveyard to place flowers there to honor those who have given their lives for this county.