In late 1864, the Civil War was nearing its end. For nearly four years, American flags and Confederate banners had been flying above frays fought mainly on the East Coast. Another battle, which occurred in the Far West, involved flags that were ignored. Unrelated to the war, Federal troops descended on hundreds of Cheyenne and… continue
In July 1917, Mrs. Charles Signer of Olympia, Washington, did something involving a flag that was worthy of attention in the newspaper. But her action didn’t include the American flag. Rather, it focused on a flag that was brand new to the world. “First Service Flag Will Be Hoisted in Olympia” read the headline. Mrs…. continue
Gettysburg Flag Works is just a skip and a hop (over the Hudson River) from Albany, the capital city of the State of New York. For that reason, just a month ago, we were called in to assist on a news story relating to one design element in the state flag. The story goes, that… continue
A century and a half ago, during the closing months of the Civil War, Harper’s Weekly, an influential magazine, continued its coverage of the conflict – and its support of the Northern cause. Many times, that support was shown through images of the American flag. One of the most striking shows Abraham Lincoln as a… continue
Ah, the question we get all the time. Which is correct, half-staff or half-mast? The answer is a little more complicated than the question suggests. According to Wikipedia, the term half-mast goes back to the 17th Century, although it’s not specific about where that was found. It is, however, the term used in nearly all… continue