SALT LAKE CITY — “Beneath the waves of distant seas and on foreign soil marked as grave or tombs, your mortal bodies lie: But your spirits are returned and enshrined in your hearts home in this fair land,” a plaque at Memory Grove Park reads.
This past Veterans Day, Preservation Utah, a historic preservation organization held a Flag Retirement Ceremony at Memory Grove Park, the park below the capital in lower City Creek Canyon, where the spirits of fallen heroes are enshrined forever.
"So what we did today was community members donated those flags to us," said Brandy Strand, executive director of Preservation Utah. " And we have now folded them and placed them inside of the meditation chapel so that they can be respectfully retired and placed in a place of sanctuary for reflection upon those lives that are no longer with us, but have given so much to make our country what it is today."
Before it became Memory Grove Park this land was once part of Brigham Young’s estate. It housed horse stables and a tool shed but was mostly left barren.
However, with growing urbanization in Salt Lake City, there was a big push for more spaces for recreation. In 1902, the city passed a resolution creating Memory Grove Park.
“But it wasn't until the 1920s when the service star Legion came in and wanted to partner with the city to actually designate it as a memorial park," Strand said. "And they started to establish different memorials for our fallen veterans throughout the park."
The Service Star Legion was a national group of patriotic societies. In Utah, the chapter became known as the War Mothers, and their purpose was to bring comfort and aid to servicemen and their families, and to support the country's government.
The park was dedicated in 1924.
The women hired architects to renovate the shed and horse stable into what we know today as Memorial House, a location that became a popular event space.
At the park, visitors can also find the Meditation Chapel. The marble structure was built in 1948 by Mr. and Mrs. Ross Beason as a memorial to their son Lt. Ross Beason Jr. and other Utah sons who died in wars around the world. The chapel is only open on the Second Friday and the fourth Saturday of each month from April through October, and for special events like Veterans Day.
Surrounding the chapel are 298 markers holding the names of men, from Utah who died fighting for freedom in distant lands, and whose bodies were never recovered from the war.
In 1984 when the Service Star Legion’s lease on the Memorial House expired, Preservation Utah took over the building and renovated it again.
But no matter what renovations, or new additions to the park, the space will always be the home of Utah’s fallen soldiers. Events to honor them continue even until this day, with the help of Preservation Utah and other organizations.
“I think anytime that you have the opportunity to learn about the sacrifices that have been given by our service men and women," Strand said. " it's important to take a deep breath because they're the reason why we have the liberties that we have, why we're able to have the freedoms that were given each da...”
