Legacy
As historian Gary Ecelbarger said, “John A. Logan may be the most noteworthy nineteenth century American to escape notice in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. But if you look around, look more closely, there is evidence of Logan’s accomplishments in plain sight in many towns large, and small across the United States.
During his lifetime and even after his death Logan was honored by having his name given to streets, parks, cities, counties and even people. Here are some hints to use when you are “Looking for Logan” Many communities have streets named for Logan. This is especially true of towns that grew rapidly after the Civil War. Yes, there may be other locally famous folks named Logan, but if the street is near Grant or Sherman Avenue then it is named for General John A. Logan.There are perhaps more than a hundred Memorial Day plaques honoring his famous General Order Number 11 creating Memorial Day as a National Holiday. They were placed in public buildings and cemeteries across the United States. We think that we have located all of the Logan statues but who knows. There may be another one out there to find. The General John A Logan Museum invites the public to join a nationwide ‘Scavenger Hunt’ to locate and photograph any Logan namesake or memorial that still exists. If you send us a photo and location of one we have not yet catalogued, we will enter you in our quarterly drawing for a Logan Museum t-shirt. So, as you travel, keep an eye out for Logan
Looking for Logan
Help us Find this Famous General, Senator, and Presidential Candidate! Send the Museum (by email or post mail) a photograph of, description for, and location of any Logan namesake that is not on our list of known sites for a chance to win a Logan Museum t-shirt. Winners will be chosen in a quarterly drawing.
In the news of late there has been much talk about how well we may or may not be taking good care of our Veterans from recent wars. Logan was a vocal advocate for providing health care and assistance not only to our very deserving veterans of the Civil War but also providing for their widows or orphans. Legislation he wrote has lead directly to the modern V.A.
His name is listed as a street name in many major cities from Denver to Chicago, especially towns that grew rapidly after the Civil War. Yes, there may be other locally famous folks named Logan, but if the street is near Grant or Sherman Avenue then it is named for General John A Logan.
Countless military cemeteries have a bronze plaque with his famous General Order Number 11 creating Memorial Day as a National Holiday.
Statues can be found in Washington D.C. and Chicago’s Logan Square; even in southern cities like Vicksburg, MS and Raleigh, N.C. there are Logan statues.
Because he was an advocate for the United States Geological Survey there is a mountain named for him and maybe a salamander.
There is no complete record of how many Logan Memorial Day markers were placed or log of their locations. The General John A. Logan Museum invites the public to join a nationwide ‘Scavenger Hunt’ to locate and photograph the markers that still exist. Keep an eye out for them as you travel!
Please contact the museum if you locate one.
Join the “Scavenger Hunt” and help the museum discover more about Logan and the story of Memorial Day. If you send us a photo of one of the markers we have not yet cataloged, we will send to you a Centennial Logan Days bookmark souvenir.
California
- Los Angeles in 1927 in Bob Hope Patriotic Hall
- Sacramento in 1928 in Capitol Rotunda
Colorado
- Denver in 1927 on the State Capitol grounds
Florida
- Miami in 1929 in Woodlawn Cemetery
Georgia
- Andersonville in 1929 Andersonville National Historic Site
Idaho
- Boise in 1928 in State Capitol Building
Illinois
- Chicago in ? in the Chicago Public Library
- Decatur in 1927 in the Macon County Court House
- Monticello in 1926 in the Piatt County Court House
- Murphysboro in 1930 in the Jackson County Court House
- New Salem in 1940 now in the Illinois State Military Museum in Springfield
- Springfield in 1927 in the State Capitol Building
Iowa
- Des Moines in 1927 in the State Capitol Rotunda
- Iowa City in ? on the grounds of the Johnson County Court House
Louisiana
- Jennings in 1927 in the Carnegie Library
Massachusetts
- Andover in 1928 in the Memorial Hall Library
- Boston in 1928 in the State House
Michigan
- Grand Rapids in ? location not known
- Lansing in 1929 in the State Capitol rotunda
