Since 2008, Jamie Cooper, a member of the North American Vexillological Association, has worked as the museum store manager at Lincoln’s Cottage, where the 16th president lived for one-fourth of his term (see last week’s article). “The greatest part of my job is talking with visitors about shared experiences and how they came across the… continue
Veterans Day provides an opportune moment to recall a spring afternoon when President Abraham Lincoln met with disabled vets from Civil War regiments. It wasn’t his only encounter with injured soldiers. In fact, he lived among them for one-fourth of his time as chief executive. Halfway through the Civil War, a chaplain at St. Elizabeth’s… continue
Kyra Schuster, a curator at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., recently took part in a once-in-a-lifetime experience when the family of Sgt. Donald Hall donated an American flag. It was given to the WWII soldier 70 years ago by survivors of Langenstein, a Nazi concentration camp. Schuster agreed to answer some… continue
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. “Bring your flags” was one suggestion, but Harrisburg’s answer was, “We don’t have one.” In… continue
More people are likely familiar with the American flag, but each state also has its own, individualistic flag. Each flag of every U.S. state demonstrates a huge array of regional influences and area histories. Each state flag also shows hugely different design principles and styles. Many of the flags of each state date back to about the 1890s, when every… continue