Written by Maggie Forbes
I invite all readers to join me on Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. for the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall.
We began this tradition in 2017, when a flagpole was installed in front to the library’s entrance as part of the development of Library Park. Over the last seven years, this short but moving ceremony has become something I look forward to.
The Veterans Day ceremony at the Carnegie Carnegie carries special resonance. The ACFL&MH is home to the Capt. Thomas Espy Post of the Grand Army of the Republic. The GAR was the veterans group of the Union Armed Services, founded in 1866. To be a member, veterans had to have served in the Union Armed Services between 1861 and 1865 and be honorably discharged.
As such, the GAR was an organization that was destined to run its course. Before it did, however, the GAR grew to have 500,000 members and 7,500 posts from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Ore.
The Grand Army of the Republic was the progenitor of all veterans’ groups in this country, wielding enormous impact on veterans’ well-being and benefits, as well as how the country perceives its veterans. Among other things, the GAR established Decoration Day, which evolved into Memorial Day, now a national holiday. The GAR custom of decorating veterans’ graves with flags continues.
The Espy Post has been documented by scholars as probably the most intact GAR post in the country. It is unequivocally a national treasure. It is open every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., or by appointment.
The Espy Post will, of course, be open on Nov. 11. U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio will serve as the master of ceremonies for the program. Deluzio, who represents Pennsylvania’s 17th District, is a United States Naval Academy graduate and Iraq War veteran, a voting rights attorney and a union organizer.
We are so grateful to veterans from Carnegie’s American Legion Post 82, who have been part of the Library & Music Hall’s annual ceremony since its inception. They bring military protocol and dignity to the ceremony. Joe Iacono, USMC, has guided us in developing this annual ceremony. Members of the 9th PA Reserves, a Civil War living history and re-enactment group long involved with the Espy Post, also participate in the program.
Last year, for the first time, sixth-graders from Carnegie Elementary School read poems. It was a lovely addition, and continues to be part of the ceremony.
Though the program is brief, you should consider building in an outing to Carnegie around it. Have lunch at one of Carnegie’s many eateries, stroll up through Library Park for the 1 p.m. ceremony, join us for cookies and coffee in the Lincoln Gallery, then stick around for our “Second Saturday Civil War Series,” moved back to 2 p.m. Writer, historian and educator Codie Eash returns to speak about Abraham Lincoln’s visit to Gettysburg. Eash’s talk commemorates the 160th Anniversary (Nov. 19, 1863) of Lincoln’s remarks at the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery. The 16th president’s 272 words comprise one of the most revered speeches ever delivered, “The Gettysburg Address.”
The ACFL&MH’s Veterans Day Ceremony takes place rain or shine. Our veterans deserve a robust turnout. Visit CarnegieCarnegie.org for more information.
Maggie Forbes is executive director of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall.