Schuylkill Township near Phoenixville in Chester County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

To Honor the Maker of First American Flag

Betsy Ross

Photographed by Keith S Smith, January 3, 2012

1. To Honor the Maker of First American Flag Marker

Inscription. [In Circle]
To Honor the Maker of First American Flag
Erected
1923
Elizabeth Griscom
ROSS
Ashbourne
Claypoole
1752
1836
BETSY ROSS

Erected 1923 by Patriotic Order Sons of America.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Patriots & Patriotism • Women. In addition, it is included in the Vexillology series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1923.

Location. 40° 5.938′ N, 75° 27.775′ W. Marker is near Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, in Chester County. It is in Schuylkill Township. It can be reached from Valley Forge Road (Pennsylvania Route 23), on the left when traveling west. This Marker is just off of Horseshoe Trail on the edge of Valley Forge Park. The entry is at Owen Road (a No Outlet) and Valley Forge Road. (PA Rt.# 23) Drive up the gravel road to the paved parking lot, this marker is behind the Patriotic Order Sons of America building you are parked in front of. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1080 Horse-Shoe Trail, Phoenixville PA 19460, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this

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marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania and in Greater Philadelphia.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Honor Court to Brigadier General Lachlan McIntosh (here, next to this marker); George Washington’s Coffee Bean Tree (a few steps from this marker); Horse-Shoe Trail (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Village of Valley Forge (about 400 feet away); Valley Creek (approx. 0.2 miles away); American Icon (approx. 0.2 miles away); Washington’s Headquarters (approx. 0.2 miles away); Headquarters Complex (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Phoenixville.

Another marker is no longer nearby. The Village of Valley Forge (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been permanently removed).

Related markers. Click here for a list

Marker to Honor Betsy Ross image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Keith S Smith, January 3, 2012

2. Marker to Honor Betsy Ross

of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . . Betsy Ross - Wikipedia. (Submitted on January 19, 2012, by Keith S Smith of West Chester, Pennsylvania.)

Additional commentary.
1. Betsy Ross:
Betsy Ross (January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836) is widely credited with making the first American flag.
Betsy Ross was born Elizabeth Griscom to Pennsylvania Quaker’s Samuel Griscom and Rebecca James in Philadelphia, on January 1, 1752. She was the eighth of the Griscom’s seventeen children. She grew up in a household where the plain dress and strict discipline of the Society of Friends dominated her life. She learned to sew from her great-aunt Sarah Elizabeth Ann Griscom. Her great-grandfather Andrew Griscom, a Quaker carpenter, emigrated in 1680 from England.
After she finished her schooling at a Quaker school, her father apprenticed her to an upholsterer named William Webster. While working for Webster, she fell in love with a fellow apprentice, upholsterer John Ross, who was the son of Aeneas Ross, an assistant rector at Christ Church, Philadelphia’s first Episcopal Church. John Ross was also the nephew of

Betsy Ross Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Keith S Smith, January 3, 2012

3. Betsy Ross Marker

There is a flag at the top of this very tall flagpole; it was erected to be above the tree line. I took this photo with my back against the P.O.S.O.A. Building here. The hill that can be seen on the horizon is Valley Forge National Park.

Declaration of Independence signer, George Ross.
Betsy and soon to be husband John Ross eloped to The Hugg Tavern in Gloucester City, New Jersey. They were wed by New Jersey Governor William Franklin, Benjamin Franklin’s son. The young couple soon started their own upholstery business and joined Christ Church, where their fellow congregants included, Jefferson, Hamilton and Franklin, their pew, number 12, was near that of George Washington and his family. The year was 1773, Betsy was 21 years old. The marriage caused problems with her family, as Quakers forbade interdenominational marriage and doing so could mean expulsion from the Quaker congregation.

— Submitted January 19, 2012, by Keith S Smith of West Chester, Pennsylvania.

1952 Betsy Ross US Stamp image. Click for full size.

Photographed by US Postal Service

4. 1952 Betsy Ross US Stamp

This 3-cent stamp honoring Betsy Ross was issued in Philadelphia, JANUARY 2, 1952, commemorating the 200th anniversary of her birth.

Painting by: Edward Percy Moran image. Click for full size.

Public Domain

5. Painting by: Edward Percy Moran

Betsy Ross, Presenting her Flag to George Washinton.

Patriotic Order Sons of America image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Organization that placed this marker

6. Patriotic Order Sons of America

Betsy Ross First American Flag Marker - Lachlan McIntosh Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Keith S Smith, January 3, 2012

7. Betsy Ross First American Flag Marker - Lachlan McIntosh Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 19, 2012, by Keith S Smith of West Chester, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,222 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on January 19, 2012, by Keith S Smith of West Chester, Pennsylvania. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.