Lansdowne Christian Church (Hull Memorial), founded in 1908 in Lansdowne, Baltimore County just over a mile southwest of Baltimore City, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Maryland Civil War Trail for being the only church in the United States of America dedicated to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).  To honor its original charter, the church has consistently conducted annual Memorial Day Services for the veterans of domestic and foreign wars. This church is testament to the love of the men of the Union by one Veteran of the Civil War.  Charles W. Hull and his wife Mary A. Hull gave the ground and the building as a memorial to the men who fought to preserve the Union. Charles Wesley Hull fought for the North during the War Between the States. When Mr. Hull donated the land and the building for the church, he did so in memory of the Grand Army of the Republic of the United States of America.  Included in the original deed was a clause stating that the second Sunday in May of each year must be observed as Memorial Day of the Grand Army of the Republic and that if this condition is violated the property will revert to the grantors. The first annual memorial service was held on May 14,1905. This day, known in the community as "Grand Army Day," quickly became one of the highlights of the year. On "Grand Army Day," the men were brought from Baltimore via the B & O Railroad. A grand parade was held through the streets to the church. After the service, dinner was served by the ladies of the church. The old soldiers gathered in the church picnic grove to share stories and remembrances. In 1914 the second Sunday in May was also nationally recognized as Mother's Day, and the following year the President of the United States of America proclaimed Mother's Day as an annual national observance.  Because of the conflict of emphasis between Mother's Day and the Memorial Day of the Grand Army of the Republic, an effort was made to clear the church deed in order that the memorial service would no longer be mandatory. This was realized in 1953 when Vernon L. Neilson, practicing attorney and member of the Lansdowne Christian Church, contacted the heirs who graciously consented to sign off all rights to the church property. A clear deed was thus obtained at a cost of $1.00. It is noted in the ensuing "Quit Claim Deed" that whenever and wherever the name "The Lansdowne Christian Church" is used for official publication, the words "Hull Memorial" shall also appear in recognition of the original grantors. Despite having been cleared of its obligation (and by shifting its commemoration to the last Sunday in May) the church has honored the stipulation of the original deed every year since its founding. From reminiscences of C. Joseph Hull, grandson of Charles and Mary Hull: After dinner the G.A.R. Veterans retired to the picnic grove behind the church, where tables and benches had been set up for their evening meal, and they socialized and reminisced with their fellow comrades. Later they were joined by the V.F.W.*, and they all participated in memorial and military ceremonies which were very impressive to me.  A drill team performed.  The speeches were stirring and delivered by very able speakers. Memorial Day is as high a national holy day as the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. Whereas the latter two are celebrated with civic pageantry and family traditions, a fitting celebration of the first requires a reverence which is not as easily come by but is so often just as rewarding and lasting.  Members of the Church and of the Lansdowne community have been blessed annually with as fine a commemoration as the country has to offer. However, speakers with the skill and passion for the cause are increasingly hard to come by.  The Hull Memorial Prize draws them out and the rewards are many. (*As years passed and most of the veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic died, the memorial service was taken over by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.)