Midlothian in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Original Village of Lighted Flags

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 31, 2025

1. The Original Village of Lighted Flags Marker

Inscription. In honor of the Village of Midlothian
The original Village of Lighted Flags
Presented to Mayor Harry Raday and John H. Horn by Doctor Sidney L. De Love of Independence Hall of Chicago

Erected 1970.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Patriots & Patriotism.

Location. 41° 37.413′ N, 87° 43.043′ W. Marker is in Midlothian, Illinois, in Cook County. It is on Pulaski Road 0.1 miles south of 147th Street (Illinois Route 83). The marker is to the left of the main entrance into Midlothian Village Hall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 14801 Pulaski Road, Midlothian IL 60445, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Can We Wave the Flag Too Much? (here, next to this marker); Century Time Capsule (here, next to this marker); September 11, 2001 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Midlothian Veterans Memorial (approx. one mile away); Robbins, IL (approx. 1.2 miles away); Spc. Nathaniel Jefferson (approx. 1.2 miles away); Corporal Michael D. Marino (approx. 1.2 miles away); Spc. Willie D. Green (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Midlothian.

Regarding The Original Village of Lighted Flags. This marker honors patriotic efforts by Harry J. Raday, Midlothian's village president from

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1961 until 1985, to promote and encourage the use of lighted flags across Midlothian. Around 1968, Raday, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War who was a fierce opponent of the desecration of the American flag, began pushing for lights to be placed at the base of flagpoles around this village about 12 miles south of downtown Chicago. This was in keeping with regulations that only permit a U.S. flag to fly 24 hours a day if lights are directed on it during the hours of darkness.

It is likely, although not 100% certain, that what is being presented "in honor of" Midlothian's lighted flags is the plaque immediately below it. That plaque reprints the text of a 1956 essay about the meaning of the American flag by Sidney L. DeLove, president of Independence Hall, a patriotic museum that used to be located on Chicago's north side.

DeLove, a French native who emigrated to the United States in the 1920s, was a passionate defender of his adopted home country. DeLove was president of the Cook County Federal Savings & Loan Association from 1949 until 1971. The bank's headquarters were at 2720 W. Devon Ave. in the West Ridge neighborhood

Midlothian Village Hall image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 31, 2025

2. Midlothian Village Hall

The marker is to the left of the door; the lighter tablet below it is an essay by Independence Hall about the meaning of the flag.

of Chicago, about 25 miles north of here, and DeLove's Independence Hall museum occupied a wing of that building, which was designed to resemble its Philadelphia namesake. (The building still stands today as a branch of Republic Bank, and includes a 1958 veterans memorial called “The Spirit of the Fighting Yank.”) DeLove was honored throughout his life for patriotic endeavors, which included, among other things, the museum, passionate speeches in defense of America, and the leading of tours of schoolchildren to important sites in American history. In 1971, DeLove resigned his role at the savings and loan after federal investigators began looking into potential financial improprieties. Reportedly depressed about the investigation while maintaining his innocence, DeLove died on October 29, 1971, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the second floor of Independence Hall.

Also see . . .
1. United States Flag Code. The American Legion website includes the code for proper display of the American flag. According to the text, a flag may be flown 24 hours a day if it is properly illuminated at night.

§ 6. Time and occasions for display
(a)
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 31, 2025

3. Midlothian Village Hall
It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flag staffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.

(Submitted on September 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Village of Midlothian, IL official site. (Submitted on June 2, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 2, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 200 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 2, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.