The Good Neighbor Garden Club of Union wants them to know it’s not gone, simply moved to a location at the heart of Union County.
The Blue Star Memorial Highway marker - which was located at Goshen Hill near Whitmire and was put up there in 1963 and is part of a national program remembering and honoring the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces - has been relocated to Foster Park in downtown Union. Garden club president Wilma Neal made the announcement Wednesday, just a day after the marker was installed near the park’s gazebo which sits in an area maintained by the club.
The garden club debated on where the marker should be placed and considered several different locations but eventually settled on the Foster Park location for several reasons, one of which included the City of Union giving its blessing to place it there..
The memorial marker also is next to the walking path that encircles the park so anyone walking by will be able to see and read its message.
“There’s a lot of people who walk here,” Neal said.
And with veterans buildings in the park’s immediate area, she said the club felt it was fitting for something honoring those men and women of the Armed Forces to be placed in the same vicinity.
The other benefit of the marker being moved to Foster Park near the gazebo is that the club will take care of the memorial - its members act as the marker’s stewards.
Neal said the marker was taken care of for years by Union County master gardeners and the county’s garden clubs. Up until last year, however, it had become overgrown and was unkempt in its previous location on Highway 176. Now it will be part of the club’s regular upkeep of the gazebo area at Foster Park.
“We’ll make sure it’s taken care of,” she said. “With the city’s help.”
The marker was refurbished and repainted by Union South Carolina Army National Guard member Rick Matthews and now can be seen by any who visit Foster Park.
The Good Neighbor Garden Club is the oldest garden club in Union County with 14 active members. Finding a new location for the marker was just one of the many activities and services the club does for and in Union County. Club members also sponsor events like the flower show at the Union County Fair.
Neal said the club simply wants people to know the marker was moved, where it is and that her club is committed to its care, especially those who drive on Highway 176 on a regular basis.
“Just in case they have missed it,” she said.
THE BLUE STAR
MEMORIAL PROGRAM:
The Blue Star Memorial Highway marker now located at Foster Park is part of a national program that honors service men and women. According to the National Garden Clubs, the program began with the planting of 8,000 dogwood trees by the New Jersey Council of Garden Clubs in 1944 as a living memorial to veterans of World War II. In 1945, the National Council of State Garden Clubs adopted the program and began a Blue Star Highway System - which the Highway 176 marker is a part of - that covers thousands of miles across the country. The program was later expanded to include all men and women who had served or would serve in the Armed Services. Memorial markers now can be found not just along highways but also in locations like cemeteries, parks, veterans’ facilities and gardens. The Blue Star became an icon of World War II and was seen on flags and homes for sons and daughters away at war, as well as churches and businesses.
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