Blue Star Highways

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This photo shows one of many Blue Star Highways set up in honor of veterans in Florida.

Photo Credit: Florida State Archives

Starting with efforts in New Jersey during World War II, Blue Star Highways honor military veterans across the nation.

During World War II, the Blue Star Service Flag was displayed in the homes of men and women serving in the U.S. military. In 1944, Mrs. Lewis M. Hull, president of the Garden Club of New Jersey, and Mrs. Vance R. Hood of New Jersey’s Blue Star Drive Committee, initiated a program to recognize the service and sacrifices of World War II veterans. Working with the state’s highway department and the approval of the New Jersey State Legislature, a six-mile stretch of highway was designated a memorial and named the Blue Star Drive in honor of New Jersey veterans.

At its annual meeting in 1945, the National Council of State Garden Clubs proposed a nationwide expansion of the program. Highways would be dedicated in each state, with Blue Star markers placed at appropriate locations. Blue Star Memorial Highways were to be landscaped with flowering trees and plants.

Over the next several decades, Blue Star Highways were dedicated throughout the nation, including many in Florida. While the program originally honored World War II veterans, it was expanded in 1951 to honor veterans who had served throughout American history.