Flag Day is June 14. Are you ready?
It was 246 years ago on June 14, 1777, that the Continental Congress approved the first U.S. flag design. Then in 1915, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 Flag Day, followed by U.S. President Harry Truman signing into law that the president must deliver an annual Flag Day proclamation.
Betsy Ross, as the legend goes, was asked in 1776 by a certain George Washington to design the new nation’s flag. Whether the design credit goes to the Philadelphia seamstress or to Francis Hopkinson, who created the first U.S. coin, Ross likely sewed some of the earliest American flags in her upholstery shop.
So far, the number of official versions of the U.S. flag has totaled 27. The current version, almost 63 years old, was adopted on July 4, 1960, after Hawaii was added as the 50th state in 1959.
Patriotic Accessory
The red, white, and blue flag is used in many ways —- from adorning federal buildings, standing outside schools, honoring veterans at funerals, leading parades, and opening ball games.
It also can be used outside of homes to celebrate holidays, show patriotism, and even add curb appeal. Every once and a while, a U.S. flag might even be found decorating a home’s interior.
Check out Kimbely Cocotos’ listing at 820 N. Winnetka Ave., Dallas.
Its flag is displayed outside the darling $850,000 Craftsman home near Bishop Arts District. The three-bedroom, four-bath home has lots going for it, including its outstanding curb appeal. The front porch swing and the landscape refresh are part of that appeal, but the red, white, and blue flag flying from the house grabs extra attention.
Another charming, flag-adorned home lies in Fort Worth’s historic Fairmount neighborhood, at 1600 Alston Ave. near thriving Magnolia Avenue.
Listed by Beau Jennings for $639,000, this home on a corner lot snatches extra notice with its display of Old Glory. The combination of the flag, along with its decorative front fence, the white trim, and the yellow front door makes this a house to be noticed.
Another house, this one built in 1993, salutes its Fort Worth Bellaire Park North neighborhood by proudly flying the flag.
Listed by Dan Stafford for $509,900, this one-story home at 6724 Castle Creek Drive with four bedrooms and three bathrooms accents the brick exterior with a flag waving near its white front door.
And we must admire the commitment a front yard flagpole commands. As an example, we offer the sweet home at 5202 W. Mockingbird Lane in Dallas. A flagpole is the focal point of the front yard for this one-story cottage with an eye-catching aqua exterior. Beth Nunneley has this home, built in 1950, listed at $525,000.
The Rules
Considering adorning your own home with a flag? There are rules to be observed. Known as the Federal Flag Code, these rules contain instructions for handling and displaying the U.S. flag.
Remember:
- Display the flag only from sunup to sunset, unless illuminated 24 hours a day for “patriotic effect.”
- It should be “hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously.”
- Never display it during inclement weather unless an all-weather flag is used.
- The U.S. flag always is displayed at the center and at the highest point in a group of flags.
