Bernard J. Cigrand; unknown source
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Stony Hill Schoolhouse; courtesy Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
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Flag Day has its origins in the classroom as several teachers around the United States set aside a day to honor and learn about the history of the American flag. The father of the movement was Bernard J. Cigrand, a schoolteacher in Wisconsin. He arranged for his students to participate in a special program on June 14, 1885. The day marked the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of the flag.
Here’s the story according to the Wisconsin Historical Society, “A little one-room country schoolhouse in Waubeka, Wisconsin is on the National Register of Historic Places for its connection to the origins of Flag Day. It was there that a 19-year-old teacher and his students held the first known observance of Flag Birth Day on June 14, 1885, using a 10-inch 38-star flag propped up in a glass bottle. Teacher Bernard Cigrand had his students, mostly descendants of Luxembourger immigrants, honor Old Glory by “reading essays they had written and discussing the flag’s history and meaning.”
Flag Day 1917; courtesy Library of Congress
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In 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned a similar ceremony for his students. Eventually, his program was adopted by the New York State Board of Education and celebrated by all of the state’s students. The success of these school-based events encouraged community groups to follow along, helping schools with event planning. The Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a ceremony in 1891 and the Society of the Sons of the Revolution held a program the following year. By 1893, several additional organizations hosted events with many schools across the country joining in. The American Flag Day Association was organized in 1894 with BJ Cigrand as its guiding voice. That year’s celebration in Chicago included more than 300,000 students.
School students were not alone in enjoying these patriotic programs. In 1914, former Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane, delivered an address noting the words that the flag spoke to him, “I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself.” President Woodrow Wilson declared Flag Day a holiday in 1916 with Congress following along in 1949. Flag Day, though, is not an official Federal Holiday.
Continental Colors flag design; courtesy Flags of the World
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So is it really that simple? As far as the holiday goes, yes. But there is a lot more to the history of the American flag. Let us start at the beginning.
Colonists began fighting the British in 1775 under several different flags used by several individual military units. When the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, they chose to unite the forces and create the Continental Army. In doing so, a flag design was created – the Grand Union Flag or Continental Colors. This flag featured the familiar 13 red and white stripes but with a Union Jack in the corner. Military leaders realized that the flag was simply too similar to the British flag and they sought another option.
“The Birth of Old Glory” from painting by Percy Moran, artist; photomechanical print, [Red Oak, Iowa]: Thomas D. Murphy, Co., c1917; courtesy Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division
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“The Birth of Old Glory” from painting by Percy Moran, artist; photomechanical print, [Red Oak, Iowa]: Thomas D. Murphy, Co., c1917; courtesy Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division
Legend tells us that in 1776 George Washington commissioned Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress, to create a flag for the new nation. Is this true? No. Historians agree that it is probable that Mrs. Ross knew Washington and may have created flags in her shop, but the story of her creating the first flag is most likely untrue. In fact, there is no historical evidence to support this story. It was first told by Ross’s grandson, William Canby, in 1870. Historians credit the flag’s design to Francis Hopkinson who also designed the Great Seal and the first coin of the United States.
Legend tells us that in 1776 George Washington commissioned Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress, to create a flag for the new nation. Is this true? No. Historians agree that it is probable that Mrs. Ross knew Washington and may have created flags in her shop, but the story of her creating the first flag is most likely untrue. In fact, there is no historical evidence to support this story. It was first told by Ross’s grandson, William Canby, in 1870. Historians credit the flag’s design to Francis Hopkinson who also designed the Great Seal and the first coin of the United States.
On June 14, 1777, Congress adopted the look of the new flag, “Resolved, that the Flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Since then, there have been 27 official versions of the flag. For many years, the star pattern design was left to the flag maker, but by 1960 and the adoption of the 50-star flag, the star pattern was standardized.
Mary Young Pickersgill; courtesy Library of Congress
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“A View of the Bombardment of Fort McHenry, Near Baltimore by the British Fleet. Taken from the Observatory Under the Command of Admirals Cochrane & Cockburn on the Morning of the 13th of September, 1814.” Aquatint by J. Bower, ca. 1814; courtesy Maryland Historical Society
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In 1813, while the young nation was again at war, a seamstress named Mary Young Pickersgill entered the flag story in a big way, literally. Major George Armistead was in command of the militia unit stationed at Fort McHenry in Baltimore and was preparing for a major British attack. He wanted a flag “so large that the British will have no difficulty seeing it from a distance.” Armistead commissioned Pickersgill to make two flags, a 17 by 25-foot storm flag and a 30 by 42-foot garrison flag. Picksersgill enlisted the help of family, free women of color, and other Baltimore seamstresses to help finish the order, which was completed in six weeks. The larger garrison flag weighed 50 pounds and took nine men to hoist over the fort. The flag was ready for its moment in the spotlight as the battle came to Baltimore in 1814. The British certainly saw as did one Francis Scott Key. Key was being held on a British ship where he watched the bombing of Baltimore’s harbor and the scene inspired him to write the poem, which eventually became the National Anthem.
The Star-Spangled Banner and its conservators are pictured here. The flag that flew above Fort McHenry “in the dawn’s early light” inspired our national anthem. Painstakingly conserved, the iconic flag is a treasure of the National Museum of American History’s collection and on display for all to see. Photo by Hugh Talman; courtesy Smithsonian Institution
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The famous flag is currently in the collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Conservators took on a major restoration effort in 1998 as textile experts started a 10-year project to stabilize the flag. Learn more about this effort from the Smithsonian Insider: https://insider.si.edu/2017/07/keeping-star-spangled-banner-story-emblematic-resilience/
In the flag laboratory, a moveable bridge (gantry) gave the conservation team a working surface above the flag. The lab was equipped with its own heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC) that kept the air free of contaminants and maintained a steady temperature and humidity. Courtesy Smithsonian Institution
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