Where is oldest american flag

With the Fourth of July just around the corner, the stage is set for a patriotic season. But history is never that simple. A flag believed to be from to , anticipating the coming Civil War, features 14 stars — not representing all the states of the union there were 30 states in , but only those free states where slavery was illegal.

Flag makers in the South did the same. And the North did the same. I think those are some of the most fascinating flags. In the 19th century, those are generally homemade. It was not until that specifics were nailed down by President William Howard Taft. I was never more sorry for anything than that which resulted in the loss of the fringe.

The image his poem evokes, however, is that of the Bedford Flag. In , just before his death, he presented the flag to the Town of Bedford, into the keeping of the trustees of the Bedford Free Public Library. The original Bedford Flag is secured in a special room on the History Mezzanine of the Bedford Library, where it is protected from heat, light and humidity.

It may be viewed at any time the Library is open. To see the flag, please ask at the Library Circulation Desk on the main floor. Passing the key in front of the red light beside the door handle will unlock the door.

As viewing space is limited, only five people may be in the Flag Room at once. Keep the door closed as much as possible to maintain the protective atmosphere within the room. We hope you enjoy seeing our historic flag along with the accompanying display. Proceeds benefit the library.

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But every man of his day in the American colonies embraced a common understanding of the liberty to speak freely. They soon encountered the American forward line, part of an extensive network of defenses established around Baltimore in anticipation of the British assault. During the skirmish with American troops, General Ross, so successful in the attack on Washington, was killed by a sharpshooter. Surprised by the strength of the American defenses, British forces camped on the battlefield and waited for nightfall on September 13, planning to attempt another attack under cover of darkness.

Rockets whistled through the air and burst into flame wherever they struck. Mortars fired and inch bombshells that exploded overhead in showers of fiery shrapnel. When British ships advanced on the afternoon of the 13th, however, American gunners badly damaged them, forcing them to pull back out of range.

That night British attempts at a diversionary attack also failed, and by dawn they had given up hope of taking the city. At on the morning of September 14, Admiral Cochrane called an end to the bombardment, and the British fleet withdrew. The successful defense of Baltimore marked a turning point in the War of Three months later, on December 24, , the Treaty of Ghent formally ended the war. Because the British attack had coincided with a heavy rainstorm, Fort McHenry had flown its smaller storm flag throughout the battle.

But at dawn, as the British began to retreat, Major Armistead ordered his men to lower the storm flag and replace it with the great garrison flag. Waving proudly over the fort, the banner could be seen for miles around—as far away as a ship anchored eight miles down the river, where an American lawyer named Francis Scott Key had spent an anxious night watching and hoping for a sign that the city—and the nation—might be saved.

Before departing from a ravaged Washington, British soldiers had arrested Dr. They subsequently imprisoned him on a British warship. Friends of Dr. Skinner, the U. They were successful; however, the British feared that Key and Skinner would divulge their plans for attacking Baltimore, and so they detained the two men aboard a truce ship for the duration of the battle. Key thus became an eyewitness to the bombardment of Fort McHenry.