06/19/2026
All offices of the St. Louis Arc are closed today, Friday, June 19, in honor of Juneteenth.
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce General Order No. 3, declaring that all enslaved people in Texas were free—more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had officially ended slavery in Confederate states. This day, now known as Juneteenth, has become a profound commemoration of freedom, resilience, and the ongoing journey toward justice.
Learn more about Juneteenth here: Juneteenth World Wide Celebration https://juneteenth.com/