Blue Star Memorial Highway

Blue Star Memorial Highways are highways in the United States that are marked to pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces. The National Council of State Garden Clubs, now known as National Garden Clubs, Inc., started the program in 1945 after World War II. The blue star was used on service flags to denote a servicemember fighting in the war. The program has since been expanded to include Memorial Markers^[1] and Memorial By-ways (since 1994)^[2]. These markers are used in National Cemeteries, parks, veterans facilities, and gardens.

1 List of Blue Star Memorial Highways
2 References
3 External links

List of Blue Star Memorial Highways

California

California State Route 58 in Southern California^[3]

Colorado

U.S. Route 40 in Lakewood, Colorado^[4]

Iowa

Interstate 29 north of Council Bluffs. Marker was originally placed along U.S. Route 75 in 1955.^[5]

Maryland

U.S. Route 301 in Maryland^[6]

Michigan

U.S. Route 31 in Michigan ^[7]

North Carolina

Interstate 26, throughout state (approved on October 4, 1968).^[8]

Milepost 41 – Westbound Buncombe/Henderson County Rest Area (dedicated on July 18, 2008).^[9]

Milepost 68 – Westbound Welcome Center.^[9]

Interstate 40, throughout state (approved on May 5, 1967).^[8]

Milepost 82 – Westbound McDowell County Rest Area.^[9]

Milepost 136 – Eastbound Catawba County Rest Area.^[9]

Milepost 364 – Duplin County Rest Area (dedicated on April 6, 2005).^[9]

Interstate 77, throughout state.^[9]

Milepost 105 – Southbound Welcome Center (dedicated on July 21, 2006).^[9]

Interstate 85, throughout state (approved on May 5, 1967).^[8]
Interstate 95, throughout state (approved on June 13, 1980).^[8]

Milepost 181 – Southbound Welcome Center.^[9]

U.S. Route 17, from Williamston to Elizabeth City (approved on November 28, 1949).^[8]
U.S. Route 64, from Tennessee state line to Williamston (approved on March 6, 1950).^[8]
U.S. Route 70, throughout state.^[8]

15th Avenue Place SE, in Hickory.^[9]

U.S. Route 74 Business from Rockingham to Hamlet (approved on April 20, 1984).^[8]

New Hamlet Senior Center, in Hamlet (dedicated on October 18, 1984).^[9]

U.S. Route 158, from Mocksville to Roanoke Rapids (approved on April 6, 1976).^[8]
U.S. Route 158, from Roanoke Rapids to Elizabeth City (approved on May 4, 1972).^[8]
U.S. Route 158, from Elizabeth City to Nags Head (approved on November 28, 1949).^[8]
U.S. Route 301, throughout state (approved on April 28, 1949).^[8]

Hay Street at Freedom Memorial Park, in Fayetteville (dedicated on March 3, 1956).^[9]

U.S. Route 421, in Wilkes County.^[10]

Milepost 282 – Northwest Visitor Center (dedicated on September 14, 2010).^[10]^[11]

North Carolina Highway 24, in Jacksonville (approved on April 20, 1984).^[8]

Near City Hall towards Camp Lejeune, in Jacksonville (dedicated on May 27, 1984).^[9]

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Turnpike Interstate 76 ^[12]

South Carolina

U.S. Route 1, throughout state.

SC 151 intersection, in McBee (dedicated on April 14, 1953; rededicated on May 23, 2011); it was the sixth established blue star in the state.^[13]^[14]

Near North Carolina state line, in Marlboro County.^[15]

Tennessee

U.S. Highway 45 West in Gibson County, Tennessee^[16]
U.S. Route 25 West in Cove Lake State Park in Campbell County, Tennessee^[16]
U.S. Highway 641 within Henry County, Tennessee^[16]

Virginia

Interstate 77

Milepost 0 – Northbound Carroll County Rest Area (dedicated on May 30, 2005).^[17]

Interstate 95

Milepost 0 – Northbound Greensville County Rest Area.^[18]

U.S. Route 1 in Fairfax County^[19]
Virginia State Route 3 in Lancaster County (effective on July 1, 2011).^[20]^[21]

Washington

Old Pacific Highway, Vancouver, Washington, USA. Oldest and newest (having been removed, restored and re-dedicated) Blue Star Memorial Highway Memorial Marker in state of Washington. Located at Covington House.

References

^ Lysiak, Jennifer. Contract still in the works for LVAC, Metrowny.com, 2011-01-21
^ George Unrine & Judy Laird, Blue Star Memorial Highways & Byways, California Garden Clubs, Inc.
^ "2008 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California". California Department of Transportation. http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tsip/hseb/products/Named_Freeways.pdf. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
^ Waymarking.com. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
^ "New Home for Blue Star Markers". INSIDE. Iowa Department of Transportation . January 2009. http://www.iowadot.gov/autotrails/bluestarmarker.aspx. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
^ History and Current Status of: The Blue Star Memorial Highways, The National Remember Our Troops Campaign
^ Michigan Department of Transportation list of memorial highways
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m "North Carolina Memorial Highways and other Named Facilities". http://www.ncdot.org/doh/preconstruct/traffic/TEPPL/Topics/N-01/Sorted%20by%20County.pdf. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l "NCDOT: NC Blue Star Memorial Marker Locations". http://www.ncdot.gov/programs/environmental/bluestar/. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
^ ^a ^b "The Record". http://www.therecordofwilkes.com/newsa.asp?edition_number=568&pg=F. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
^ "Tarheel Guardsmen December 2010/January 2011". http://ncnga.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/DEC-2010-JAN-2011-THG.pdf. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
^ "Historical Marker Database". Hmdb.org. http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=307. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
^ "SCnow.com: Garden Club dedicates Blue Star Marker". http://www2.scnow.com/news/pee-dee/2011/jun/03/garden-club-dedicates-blue-star-marker-ar-1924336/. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
^ "The South Carolina Garden Club, Inc.". http://www.gardenclubofsc.org/districts/eastsandhills/inthedistrict.htm. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
^ "Waymarking.com - US 1 Blue Star, Marlboro County". http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM7BT2_US_1_Blue_Star_Memorial_Highway_Marlboro_County_SC. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
^ ^a ^b ^c Tennessee Code, Title 54, Chapter 5, Part 10, Section 54-5-1001
^ "Virginia.org". Virginia.org. http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrID=34108. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
^ "Flickr: Blue Star Memorial Highway - Skippers, Virginia". 2010-07-30. http://www.flickr.com/photos/washuotaku/5294229968/. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
^ Virginia DOT Press Release, Oct. 4, 2005
^ "SB 780: Recordation and Grantor Taxes". http://www.virginiadot.org/VDOT/Projects/asset_upload_file207_5721.pdf. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
^ "HB 1735 Blue Star Memorial Highway; designates entire length of Route 3 in Lancaster County.". http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?111+sum+HB1735. Retrieved 2011-12-27.