Monday afternoon, Oakwood Cemetery marked a major milestone: the 100th anniversary of Memorial Day in Raleigh.

The ceremony, held outside under on-again-off-again rain, was standing room only. It featured the 2nd Marine Corps Aircraft wing band, and an address from retired US Ambassador Jim Cain.

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Until recently, no one realized that the 100th anniversary was approaching, including Historic Oakwood Executive Director Robin Simonton.

"About a year-and-a-half ago, I was doing research,” said Simonton, “and I saw a newspaper article [from 1924] that said it was the first Memorial Day. And I thought, ‘what’?'"

While Memorial Day has roots dating back to the Civil War, Simonton’s research pointed to the fact that the national holiday was only formally recognized in Raleigh in 1924.

The first ceremony was held at Oakwood. “It was held in the cemetery chapel,” said Simonton. “We also know the community was asked to bring flowers that were placed on the graves of the World War One dead.”

The ceremony also coincided with the arrival of many World War I dead to Raleigh - a process that often dragged on for years.

“The French didn’t want us to repatriate our people. There was an initial delay there. And then the whole process of identification, disinterment, shipment, moving them to Raleigh took lots of time,” said Bruce Miller, a volunteer historian at the cemetery.

Miller points to one grave in particular - Thomas Harry Watson, the first Raleigh boy killed in the war.

“It took 10 years to bring him home,” said Miller. “He was disinterred, and reburied, five times.”

Watson's story is one of dozens that Miller and Simonton have been collecting over the last year and a half, a journey that began when Simonton noticed one particularly damaged and dirty grave.

“I would drive past that one a million times, and wonder who it was,” she said.

Simonton’s research revealed the grave belonged to Dudley Robins, “a Raleigh boy who was in the 89th aero squadron, and serving in France.”

Robins’ plane crashed and caught fire during a training exercise on June 29, 1918. His body was brought back in 1924.

“Dudley’s mom was very ill, and unable to come to the funeral when he was returned to Raleigh,” Simonton said. “So when the casket arrived in Raleigh, it was taken out in front of their home, in front of her front window.”

Simonton and Miller have now gathered these stories into a book “Bringing Them Home,” and hope Monday’s ceremony helps shine a light on these soldiers’ lives.

“The sacrifice our community made,” said Simonton, “should be felt by all of us on Memorial Day.”