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Greenville in Greenville County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

The Betsy Ross Flag

 
 
The Betsy Ross Flag Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, August 24, 2008
1. The Betsy Ross Flag Marker
Inscription. This flag, commonly referred to as "The Betsy Ross Flag," was adopted June 14, 1777 (Flag Day). The Continental Congress on this day resolved "That the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes alternating red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation." The designer of this flag is not known, although John Paul Jones has been suggested as a possibility. Congress did not specify an arrangement or number of points for the stars in the canton, and as a result, there are many variations in the flags that followed until 1912. A similar flag was present at the great American victory at Cowpens, South Carolina with the only difference being an arrangement of 12 five point stars in a circle with one star in the middle.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Patriots & PatriotismWar, US RevolutionaryWomen. A significant historical date for this entry is June 14, 1858.
 
Location. 34° 50.834′ N, 82° 24.009′ W. Marker is in Greenville, South Carolina, in Greenville County. Marker is at the intersection of East Broad Street and Main Street, on the left when traveling west on East Broad Street. Marker is located in the Peace Plaza, surrounding the Nathanael Greene Statue, across from the Peace Center for the Performing
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Arts. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Greenville SC 29601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The South Carolina Flag (a few steps from this marker); Roger Craft Peace Plaza (a few steps from this marker); Old Glory (a few steps from this marker); Francis Marion (a few steps from this marker); Thomas Sumter (a few steps from this marker); Andrew Pickens (a few steps from this marker); Greenville's General (a few steps from this marker); Guilford Courthouse Flag (a few steps from this marker); The Moultrie Flag (within shouting distance of this marker); Harper Plaza (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greenville.
 
Also see . . .
1. The Betsy Ross Flag. During the Revolutionary War, several patriots made flags for our new nation. Among them were Cornelia Bridges, Elizabeth (Betsy) Ross, and Rebecca Young, all of whom were from Pennsylvania, and John Shaw of Annapolis, Maryland. (Submitted on August 30, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

2. Betsy Ross Flag. The Betsy Ross flag is an early design of American flag popularly attributed to Betsy Ross using the common motifs of alternating red-and-white striped field with white stars in a blue canton. (Submitted on August 30, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
The Betsy Ross Flag and Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, August 24, 2008
2. The Betsy Ross Flag and Marker
 

3. Betsy Ross Flag - Fact or Fiction?. Did Betsy Ross Really Make the First American Flag? (Submitted on December 21, 2010, by Julia Hutchins of Scott City, Kansas.) 

4. The Betsy Ross Homepage. While Americans recognize and celebrate collective achievements such as the writing of the Declaration of Independence, victory in the Revolutionary War, or the landing of a man on the Moon — it is individual accomplishment that is cherished the most. (Submitted on August 30, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

5. Betsy Ross. Betsy Ross (January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836), of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been widely credited with making the first American flag. (Submitted on September 11, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

6. Betsy Ross. Elizabeth Griscom Ross (1752-1836), was a Philadelphia seamstress, married to John Ross, an upholsterer who was killed in a munitions explosion in 1776. (Submitted on September 11, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

7. The Truth About Betsy Ross. Americans love the story of Betsy Ross’s making the nation’s first official flag. (Submitted on December 7, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

8. The Betsy Ross House. No visit to Historic Philadelphia would be complete without a stop
Betsy Ross Flag image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott
3. Betsy Ross Flag
at the home of America's most famous flagmaker. (Submitted on September 11, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

9. John Paul Jones. John Paul Jones (July 6, 1747(1747-07-06) - July 18, 1792) was the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. (Submitted on September 11, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

10. Flag Day (United States). In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. (Submitted on September 11, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 
 
Additional commentary.
1.
The so-called Betsy Ross Flag features 13 five-pointed stars in a ring. However, the Congressional Resolution that established the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777, did not address the number of points for the 13 stars or their arrangement. (See: "Our Flag." Joint Committee on Printing. United States Congress. H. Doc. 100-247. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1989. p. 1.) Furthermore, the first evidence for such a flag was in the early 1790s. (See: "Our Flag." p. 2.)
    — Submitted January 17, 2022, by Earl P. Williams, Jr. of , .

2.
Betsy Ross was not associated with her eponymous
<i>The Birth of Old Glory</i> image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Edward Percy Moran, 1917
4. The Birth of Old Glory
flag until Charles Weisgerber painted "Birth of Our Nation's Flag" in 1893. (See: Harker, John Balderston. "Betsy Ross's Five Pointed Star: Elizabeth Claypoole, Quaker Flag Maker -- A Historical Perspective." Melbourne Beach, FL: Canmore Press. 2005. p. 94.) "Birth of Our Nation's Flag" was first exhibited at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The painting is based on "the alleged meeting of the committee of Congress with Betsy Ross." (See: Furlong, William Rea and Byron McCandless. "So Proudly We Hail: The History of the United States Flag." Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. 1981. pp. 116 and 117.)

Submitted by Earl P. Williams, Jr., U.S. flag historian (paleovexillologist)
    — Submitted January 17, 2022, by Earl P. Williams, Jr. of , .
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 17, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 30, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,998 times since then and 25 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week June 14, 2015. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on August 30, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   3, 4. submitted on September 11, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 29, 2024