{"id":2710,"date":"2015-10-22T08:11:47","date_gmt":"2015-10-22T12:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?p=2710"},"modified":"2024-10-02T13:06:20","modified_gmt":"2024-10-02T17:06:20","slug":"harrisburg-scrambled-design-municipal-flag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/harrisburg-scrambled-design-municipal-flag\/","title":{"rendered":"Harrisburg scrambled to design municipal flag"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A<\/a>
A postcard offering a birds-eye view of the Exposition was filled with flags<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1907, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, had a major problem with a flag and not much time to solve it.<\/p>\n

Virginia had invited cities around the U.S. to attend the Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition to mark the founding of that town in 1607. \u201cBring your flags\u201d was one suggestion, but Harrisburg\u2019s answer was, \u201cWe don\u2019t have one.\u201d In 1905, the city had tried to pick a municipal flag<\/a>, but the proposed design was vetoed by the mayor.<\/p>\n

\"Flags<\/a>
Flags fly atop a Jamestown Exposition building<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Therefore, when the Jamestown event arose two years later, the city fathers were caught flat-footed. Playing catch-up in mid-April 1907, the mayor invited banner ideas from citizens but gave them only one week to do so.<\/p>\n

Members of the design committee set a rule for making their decision: \u201cA flag\u2026is primarily intended to be displayed from a flag-staff, and hence the design should be one easily comprehended by the observer.\u201d Meanwhile, The Patriot, Harrisburg\u2019s newspaper, opined that the chosen banner \u201cmust be\u2026worthy of the Capital City,\u2026symbolical of the foundation or history or growth or aspirations of Harrisburg, and at the same time simple and dignified.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"'Birth<\/a>
‘Birth of Our Nation’s Flag’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That\u2019s quite a recipe: Easily comprehended while conveying many themes.<\/p>\n

As the opening of the Virginia event neared, its significance expanded when President Theodore Roosevelt agreed to attend. The Associated Press reported that \u201cevery steamer and every train reaching Norfolk [where the event would be held] brought thousands of visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harrisburgers proved to be up to their last-minute challenge. Just two weeks after asking for ideas from the public, a Patriot headline screamed: \u201cHARRISBURG HAS CITY FLAG\u201d that was \u201cHISTORICALLY SYMBOLICAL.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Harrisburg's<\/a>
Harrisburg’s original flag design<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Central on the newborn blue banner was a white keystone, reflective of the state\u2019s nickname. The flag was also jammed with symbols: the dome of the State Capitol, pieces from the coats-of-arms of the Penn and Harris lines, and the name of the city writ large on the bottom.<\/p>\n

The Penn family arms contributed disks to the flag, while the Harris emblem offered crescents. A fleur de lis on the banner was a nod to Dauphin County, in which the capital sits. The county was named for the Dauphin of France, the eldest son of King Louis XVI, who aided the American Revolution.<\/p>\n

\"President<\/a>
President Theodore Roosevelt speaks at tercentennial. (Library of Congress)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The municipal flag was only part of the work required for the Exposition. Pennsylvania also needed to build an exhibition building and decided to go all-out by constructing a replica of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were adopted.<\/p>\n

Once built in Virginia, the site was crammed with exhibitions, including a copy of a painting titled \u201cBirth of Our Nation\u2019s Flag,\u201d by Charles Weisgerber, showing \u201cin exquisite coloring the first American flag<\/a> with its glorious stars and stripes\u201d as well as Betsy Ross. The building also housed municipal flags from throughout Pennsylvania, including the state capital\u2019s last-minute design.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Keystone State’s exposition building<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With little time, the state and Harrisburg had proved worthy of the challenge from the Exposition. How worthy? More than a century later, Pennsylvania\u2019s building is one of the few 1907 exhibition structures still standing in Virginia.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 1907, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, had a major problem with a flag and not much time to solve it. Virginia had invited cities around the U.S. to attend the Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition to mark the founding of that town in 1607. \u201cBring your flags\u201d was one suggestion, but Harrisburg\u2019s answer was, \u201cWe don\u2019t have one.\u201d In… continue<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[314],"class_list":["post-2710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-lessons","tag-president-theodore-roosevelt"],"yoast_head":"\nHarrisburg scrambled to design municipal flag<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In 1907, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, had a major problem with a municipal flag and not much time to solve it before the Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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