My Old Historic House: May 28, 2011

A Pair of Cast Iron Garden Urns Filled with Flags Greet You.

Love May She Wave.

French Wire Plant Stand with 13 Flag Display.

In honor of Memorial Day and the holiday weekend , the history of our "Star -Spangled- Banner." The liberty that the Continental Congress afforded flag makers was partly due to the fact that a national flag was not considered as important as the regimental colors of the Military or the Great Seal of the republic. The flag use was limited primary to military holdings and navel vessels. Continental newspapers did not ever bother to report passage of the flag resolution until 1777.
How the members of the Congress arrived at a Star -Spangled-Banner of red, white and blue is unknown,but one can see the influence of regimental flags in the design. A blue canton bearing thirteen stars graced both the flags of New Hampshire's Green Mountain Boys and the Continental Rhode Island Regiment. Boston's radical revolutionary group, the Sons of Liberty, had earlier adopted a red and white stripped flag or rebellion banner. The stripes re-appear in the Continental Colors, also known as the Grand Union Flag, that bore a design of thirteen stripes, alternately red and white, with a blue field in the upper-left-hand corner, bearing the red cross of St.George of England, with the white cross of St. Andrew of Scotland. The Continental Colors remained in general use throughout the colonies from 1775 until the flag resolution of 1777.The British crosses were dropped to avoid suggestion that the colonies would reconcile with the Crown.

An Old Doll Dress Costume.

Button Collection.

Although romantic lore often credits a Philadelphia seamstress named Betsy Ross with making the first Stars and Stripes , and Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey, a signer of the Decoration of Independence,as the creator. Hopkinson was also involved in the design of the Great Seal of the United States. Records show that in 1780, Hopkinson, billed the Continental Congress twenty four dollars for his part in the flag design. Congress refused to pay on the grounds that he had not been the only one to work on the project and he was already being paid a salary.
Even after the Revolution was won, Congress paid little attention to the nations offiical banner. When Kentucky and Vermont were admitted to the Union in 1794, it was agreed to represent them on the flag by expanding the number of starts and stripes to fifteen.This fifteen star version, inspired Francis Scott Key to write the," Star- Spangled-Banner", after witnessing British warship's, steadly bombard Fort McHenry one night ,during the War of 1812. On the back of an envelope, Key scribbled his awe seeing, the Star- Spangled-Banner ,through the Rockets-Red Glare and by the Dawns Early Light. In 1816 the poem was turned into a song.

Night View.

By 1818,the plan to represent each state with it's own stars and stripes proved unwieldy. With five new states admitted into the Union that year alone,it was clear that the broad stripes would soon become pin stripes. Congress decreed that the flag go back to thirteen stripes ,alternating red and white, symbolizing the original thirteen colonies, with each state represented by a single star. Each star would be added on the Fourth of July,following the date of admission to the Union. Like the Nation,the flag was growing and ever changing.
The average citizen continued to view the Nations Flag as primarily a Military Standard, until the Civil War fostered a flag cult among those who saught to preserve the Union. The Stars and Stripes became a rallying symbol, soon after seccionist troops bombed Fort Sumter in 1861.The Confederate Secretary of War predicted that the Confederate Flag would fly over the dome of the Old capital in Washington,outraged Northerners reacted by raising the Star Spangled Banner all over town.One account was that Flags floated from the roofs of houses, were flung in the breeze from the Chamber of Congress and the Board of Trade. Spanned the surging streets, decorated the private parlors, glorified the school rooms, festooned the church walls and pulpit and just blossomed every where.

Even the Chickens got into the spirit.

My Mother made this for me, she was in her 70's and took a basket making class.

Reverence for the flag intensified into a cult religion with the sight of the- Stars and Stripes accompanying men going to war and draping the coffins of fallen soldiers. Yankee mothers even taught their daughters to make small flags-sometimes called Bible flags, because they were tucked into the family Bible.
The Cult of the flag continued after the civil war ended and gained strength with the celebration of American's as one nation again in 1876.
In 1892-Francis Bellamy wrote ,"The Pledge of allegiance" for a popular magazine called, The Youth's Companion of America.Congress officially recognized the Pledge in 1943. By 189's, the flag could be seen on everything from pin cushions and pillow cases to pickled pork. There was no official flag guide line- so flag makers were free to follow there fancy-and did!During the first quarter of the 20th century, congress approved a code of flag etiquette and a series of detailed design standards. Today the official flag adheres to strict guidelines and is uniform in appearance and presentation.

Section of an old crazy quilt I found one day antique shopping.

Paper Dolls.

I bring this out every year for the 4th of July and Memorial Day.

1777- 13 stars-Delaware,Penn.,New Jersey, Georgia,Conn.,Mass.,Maryland,South Carolina, New Hamp.,Virginia, New York, North Carolina,Rhode Island.
1795- 15 stars- Vermont,Kentucky
1818-20 stars- Tenn.,Ohio,Louisiana,Indiana, Mississippi
1819- 21 stars- Illinois
1820- 23 stars- Alabama,Maine
1822- 24 stars- Missouri
1836- 25 stars-Arkansas
1837- 26 stars- Michigan
1845-27 stars- Florida
1846- 28 stars- Texas
1847- 29 stars- Iowa
1848-30 stars- Wisconsin
1851-31 stars- California
1858- 32 stars- Minn.
1859-33 stars- Oregon
1861- 34 stars- Kansas
1863- 35 stars- West Virginia
1865- 36 stars- Nevada
1867 - 37 stars- Nebraska
1877-38 stars- Colorado
1890-43 stars- North Dakota,South Dakota,Montana, Washington, Idaho
1891- 44 stars- Wyoming
1896- 45 stars- Utah
1908- 46 stars- Oklahoma
1912-48 stars- New Mexico, Arizona
1960- 50 stars- Hawaii

This old doll is still in her original box.

A plaster statue from a carnival.

I would love to share with you the flags and decorations that I have at, My Old Historic House. I put them up at night, so when, dawns early light comes, there they are. I also take them down a few minutes after memorial day, so they will remain special. I have a spot light for the big flag. I bought the big flag at a local yard sale. I am sure it was some poor soles flag from the Military. I don't mind, as that is what memorial day is all about. Who ever it belongs too, be proud as it is on proper display. I do the same things for the Fourth of July.You will not believe the number of tourist that come to my little town and stop to take a picture of the old house with it's flag decorations. I love to watch them. Some get out of the car, others hang out the window. I wish you all could come by and visit. Take a tour, have a glass of ice tea, set on the porches. I will leave the lights on and Sissy Dog will meet you with a jump and a kiss. I hope all of you, where ever you are, have a safe, happy, fun and wonderful Memorial Day weekend. God Bless American and our flag, Long may She Wave.