Sappey renews flags at Longwood Cemetery for Memorial Day

KENNETT SQUARE, May 28 – In honor of Memorial Day, state Rep. Christina Sappey renewed flags in the Longwood Cemetery this afternoon.

Sappey, who serves on the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, replaced flags within the cemetery with the help of the American Legion Post 491, Kennett Square, and Boy Scout Troop 31 with Scoutmaster Ray Coe.

“Memorial Day is a time to honor the brave men and women who have died in service to our country and to reflect on the enormous sacrifices made to protect the freedoms we enjoy today,” said Sappey, D-Chester. “Placing new flags in this cemetery is a way to show we haven’t forgotten their heroism. This holiday, which originated as a way to honor soldiers who died in the Civil War, like some buried here, also serves as a reminder of the significant debt of gratitude we owe our current military members.”

In total, about 460 flags were placed at the Longwood Cemetery. The American Legion Post 491 lays approximately 1,500 flags at cemeteries throughout the area, honoring veterans from the American Revolution up to the Gulf War.

The Longwood Cemetery, chartered in 1855, was founded with bylaws allowing “no distinction on account of color or condition in its burial plot assignments.” Black Civil War soldiers, doctors and nurses, as well as white abolitionists and Underground Railroad conductors, are buried at the cemetery.