From our friends at the National Endowment for the Humanities (the wonderful folks who help make the National Digital Newspaper Program possible!):
Did you know that Memorial Day used to be known as Decoration Day? Or that the practice of honoring the war dead during spring first arose in the South as the Civil War ended? For more on the fascinating history of this holiday, please see our new web feature authored by Ralph Canevali. Historic newspapers from around the country are featured!
https://www.neh.gov/divisions/preservation/featured-project/the-evolution-memorial-day
To find out how Memorial Day was commemorated historically in Tennessee, use the Advanced Search in Chronicling America to search for Decoration Day or Memorial Day, and limit your search to Select State: Tennessee.