Kalamazoo Michigan Gar Day Baseball Today Billiards 1909 Real Photo Postcard

G.A.R. Day, commemorating the Grand Army of the Republic, was a pivotal annual event for Union Civil War veterans and American communities. Established in 1866, the G.A.R. grew into the most powerful fraternal organization for Union veterans, wielding significant political and social influence throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By 1909, as its membership aged, G.A.R. gatherings primarily served as vital opportunities for comradeship, public recognition, and the preservation of Civil War memory.