Army Quartermaster Museum - Fort Lee, Virginia

It’s a Grand Old Flag Exhibit

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress resolved that “the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation,”  thus establishing the design of the American Flag.   The rest of the flag’s story is told in a new exhibit, “It’s a Grand Old Flag” now showing at the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum.

The Founding Fathers failed to be more specific about how the stars were to be arranged or if they were to be five, six, or eight pointed.  They also, at one time, thought that additional stripes as well as stars should be added with each new state and for a time, the flag had fifteen stars and stripes.  But when the number of states reached 20 by 1818, it became clear that adding stripes along with stars would not work.  An Act in 1818 decreed that the number of stripes would remain at thirteen and a star would be added for each new state, the practice that continues to be followed.

The Museum contains one of the finer collections of American flags in public domain.  The exhibit includes ten historic flags, most of which have been professionally conserved.  They include flags that flew in the 1820’s, during the Civil and Spanish American Wars, and, in the case of a 49 star flag, for a brief period during the 20^th Century.  Some are homemade, such as a 34 star flag sewn by a Pennsylvania woman after Fort Sumter had fallen, while some were produced at Quartermaster Depots.  One flag, a 16 foot by 8 foo 35 star flag flown during the Civil War, almost fills the gallery while a smaller 48 star was flown at the summit of Mount McKinley in 1942.   

Among the artifacts is a painting by Thomas Nast, often called the originator of the political cartoon, entitled “Saving the Flag,” a work based upon his experiences as a field artist during the Civil War.

The exhibit explores the evolution of the flag’s design with the addition of each new state and relates it to the time period it represents.  Information provided includes provisions in the “Flag Code” on what is proper flag etiquette while a brief history of the Pledge of Allegiance provides insight into one of the flag’s traditions.

The exhibit will run through Fall 2008.  The Quartermaster Museum is located in Building 5218, Avenue A, Fort Lee.  There is no admission charge.  For more information, call (804) 734-4203.

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