A Short History of Easton's Flag (Retyped)

It's Flag Day!

You know, Flag Day? The one President Wilson proclaimed in 1916 as a way to bolster patriotism while an extremely nationalistic world war raged in Europe? The sort-of federal holiday established by Congress in 1949 that you don't get paid extra for working during?

It's on the 14th of June because that's the day, in 1777, when the Second Continental Congress approved the design of the first U.S. national flag. But I don't really want to get into the - frankly, pretty dull - history of Flag Day. (Suffice it to say a schoolteacher in Wisconsin, Bernard Cigrand, thought up the idea in 1885 as something for his students to do, and it just sort of caught on.)

But I'd like to take this opportunity to write a little something about the Flag of Easton. It actually has an interesting history behind it, and controversy over the year when it was supposedly made. While it was adopted as the official flag of Easton on March 6, 1908, the original design was either from 1814 or as far back as 1776.

You may have heard something about how the 13 original colonies of America declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776?

Maybe you learned about it in a history class in school, or a Mel Gibson movie. It had something to do with tea, that much people tend to remember.

Point is, the various frustrations of the colonists with King George III and his Parliament were put to parchment by a certain Thomas Jefferson, and after a few modifications by Congress the Declaration of Independence was all set to be printed and distributed in early July 1776. By Congress's orders, it was read first read to the public in three places at the same time on July 8, 1776:

• Trenton, New Jersey

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Not too shabby, right? That should give you a clear indication of how important Easton was considered in those days. Every year, around - but not necessarily on - July 8 is Heritage Day in Easton for this very reason. (This year, Heritage Day is on Sunday, July 7.)

Now here's where the controversy begins.

When the Declaration was read in Easton's Great Square (currently Centre Square) at the old courthouse (where the Civil War Monument is now) by Robert Levers (sorry I enjoy using parenthesis), county clerk, it is said that the citizens of the town unfurled a flag some local seamstresses had sewn: the flag of Easton that remains so to this day!

Actually, it was referred to as simply “the standard” in a Philly newspaper from that time, a standard representing the 13 rebelling colonies. The primary document doesn't mention what it looked like, however.

The controversy arises from the fact that – look again at the flag – if the standard displayed was our current flag, that would make Easton's flag the first “stars and stripes” flag in America.  Yes, the very first “red, white and blue” (not counting Britain's flag, obviously). And that's quite a historical claim to fame.

That would beat the “Betsy Ross Flag” by a year.

Alas, there were no photographs at that time, so there will probably never be any way to prove the flag that appeared in the Square in 1776 was, in fact, the flag we still have.

The story gets trickier still: The flag disappears from the historical record for 38 years after its supposed introduction. The first time everyone agrees it appears in history is on September 6, 1814 when the current Easton flag was given as a gift to Captain Abraham Horn's 59-strong rifle company as they left to avenge the burning of Washington, DC during the War of 1812 - which this time was not about tea.

This flag, we know, is the very flag still in our possession at the Easton Area Public Library. It was given to the company by a 14-year-old girl, Rosanna Beidleman, which you'll want to remember in a bit. She said to the captain “Under this flag, march to glory.” He answered, “I will, Ma'am.” From Easton, the troops took the flag with them to Camp DuPont in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania and returned with it after the war ended. They never fought, apparently, but one assumes much glory was had anyway. While marching, no doubt.

In 1821, the flag was gifted to the Easton Library Company by the Easton Union Guards, an organization formed by Horn and other veterans in 1816. The flag remains with EAPL. You can visit it, as I recently did, in the Henry F. Marx Local History Room at the library.

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So, controversy?

Yes, well, there are those who do not believe the flag we have today – the one sent with the troops in 1814 – is the same banner displayed in 1776 at the reading of the Declaration. However, many local historians, including the late Henry F. Marx himself, firmly believe it dates from the 18th century.

Why? Well, first, count the stars and their points and the stripes on Easton's flag.

I'll do it for you. 13 eight-pointed stars and 13 stripes.

I'm terribly sorry if you actually counted before you continued reading. I wasted your time.

During the War of 1812, the U.S. flag had 15 five-pointed stars and 15 stripes. This is because, at the time, the United States had 18 states, and the whole “13 stripes representing the 13 original colonies” idea hadn't yet caught on. (As for why the flag didn't have 18 stars and stripes, well, Congress – if you can believe this – wasn't good with change.) And yet, the flag given to Captain Horn has only 13 stars and stripes, and the last time that number was correct was 1791, before Vermont became the 14th state to join the Union.

Also, the stars on Easton's flag have eight points each. That's odd, in and of itself. The five-pointed star only became popular after the Revolutionary War had ended, lending further support to the idea that Easton's flag was made prior.

Next, we have the case of the presenter of the flag, the young Rosanna Beidleman. She was the daughter of a George Beidleman, and research shows he was from Greenwich Township, New Jersey, and the family had recently moved to Easton. When she presented the flag, it is thought that it was from the “family vault” so to speak – an heirloom from when, obviously, they'd lived in Easton prior to returning in the 19th century. And why else, after all, would young Rosanna – a Jersey girl! - be chosen to give the gift if not because of its authenticity and out of respect for the family who had kept it safe for nearly 40 years? So goes the assumption, anyway.

So, is it possible that the Beidleman family or their friends hastily constructed a flag with some historical anachronisms purposely built in to nefariously fool everyone?

Sure, it's possible. But why would they do that? That's just weird.

Having said all that, it's not as if historical anachronisms aren't routinely sewn into flags, even in modern times. The Tea Party still uses that Gadsden “Don't Tread On Me” snake flag, and that design dates from that time period as well. It happens. So, yes, it could be that the women of Easton in 1814 got together and decided to sew a flag that represented Easton from when the country got its start. There wasn't necessarily any deception at all, even if it was sewn in 1814.

So, in the end, we probably cannot ever know whether the flag in the Marx Room is the one from 1776 or “only” the one from 1814. But really, so what? The point isn't what a flag is – it's just colored cloth – or when it was made. The point is what it represents.

And come on, you just know it was 1776. First!

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Kyle M. Jones is a docent at the Sigal Museum. He has relearned a valuable lesson from college: back up all your work.