Morris County Library: ''Saluting Old Glory: Our Nation's Flag''

Published on July 24, 2017

FLAG EXHIBIT DETAILS HISTORY OF THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER

The Morris County Heritage Commission and the Morris County Library are presenting a special display entitled Saluting Old Glory: Our Nation's Flag'' at the county library in the Whippany section of Hanover Township through Sept. 15.

(JPG, 110KB) 35-star Civil War era flag

Saluting Old Glory: Our Nation's Flag, which details the history of the Star-Spangled Banner, is on view through Tuesday, Aug. 25. Items in the exhibit cases will be on view through Sept. 15.

American flags from the Eighteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries are on display in the lobby of the library. Flags and exhibit cases of related items are on view on the first and second floor.

A third exhibit case, located on the fifth floor of the County Administration Building in Moristown, also features examples of rare and unusual American flags.

(JPG, 74KB) Various American flags on display at the county library in Whippany

Visitors to the county library exhibit can view a selection of American flags and see the changes that took place from the Colonial Period to the Mid-Twentieth Century. Also on view are vintage children's books, period photographs, and other materials related to the Stars and Stripes.

While each flag in the exhibit has an interesting history, three have ties to Morris County.

The first, on loan from the Historical Society of Boonton Township, is an original 35-star Civil War flag. This rare American flag was handed down to Mrs. Oscar Kincaid, Sr., from her aunt and remained in the Kincaid family for almost 150 years.

The second is a small 39-star silk parade flag with hand-painted gold stars, on loan from the Morristown Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.(JPG, 7KB)

A third flag, from the special collections in the Morris County Archives, handcrafted in silk in 1940, is on display in the library lobby.

The County Library management and the Heritage Commission worked together to bring this exhibit to our constituents. We hope visitors to the library will appreciate viewing the evolution of our nation's flag and the history that is symbolically represented in the Stars and Stripes.

Get more information on the Morris County Heritage Commission at https://mchc.morriscountynj.gov/

Get more information on the Morris County Library at https://mclib.info/

The library is located (for GPS) at 30 East Hanover Avenue, Morris Plains, N.J. 07950

Learn more about the Star-Spangled Banner at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-story-behind-the-star-spangled-banner-149220970/ and http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/the-lyrics.aspx