LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - MAY 21, 2023 by Lynne Belluscio It’s time to get ready for Memorial Day. Folks are planting gardens and getting their boats ready to put into the lake. Others are anxious for a three-day holiday and making sure they have charcoal for the BBQ. But we all know, that it is important to pause and remember the reason for Memorial Day. The Botts Fiorito American Legion Post is getting ready for the annual service at Trigon Park. As they call out the name of each veteran who has died this past year, a flag is placed near the monument. Earlier, volunteers will place flags on the graves at the local cemeteries. I think a quick estimate would be 1500 flags that are needed in LeRoy which includes the seven abandoned cemeteries, St. Francis and Machpelah. The Women’s Auxiliary takes care of St. Francis and the Legion takes care of the 7 abandoned cemeteries. Machpelah needs volunteers Saturday morning, May 27 at 9 to place 500 flags. This year I was having a difficult time finding flags –12 x 18 inches with a 30 inch stick. Every time I thought I had found what I needed, the shipping costs were sky high and if the flags were coming from out of state, there was a sales tax added. (New York is one of the states that does not charge sales tax on flags.) The folks at Grandview in Batavia shared their old flags, but they are the small flags. At one time I was able to buy flags at the Veteran’s Outreach store in Rochester but it closed in 2021. Finally, after searching online, I drove to Michaels in Batavia and was able to buy the flags that I needed. I want to thank the two women who spent an hour making sure I had 300 flags. I learned that one of them, knows Machpelah because her grandfather is buried there. Last night, I began to wonder where all these flags are coming from. I had heard that a lot of flags are not made in the United States. I discovered, that contrary to what I had heard, 94% of American flags are indeed made in the United States. There are several companies who manufacture American flags, and the one that has the longest history is the Annin Company which was founded in 1847 by Alexnder Annin. Today the company is owned by the Beard and Dennis families. Alexander Annin was a ship’s chandler, which means that he handled and sold supplies to sailing ships for the long journey at sea. Annin was located in New York City on Fulton Street on the corner of William Street in lower Manhattan. The company was turned over to Alexander’s sons, Benjamin and Edward and soon became known exclusively for the manufacture of flags. The corner of Fulton and William Streets was known as “Old Glory Corner” until 1925. The company needed more space and they opened a location on FifthAve at the corner of 16th Street. The showroom, corporate offices and custom sewing department was moved to this space in 1910 and remained there until 1960 when the offices moved to New Jersey. Annin’s earliest commission for flags was for the inauguration of President Zachary Taylor in 1849. In 1850, Annin provided flags for the Swedish singer, Jenny Lind and her nation-wide tour with P.T. Barnum. In 1860, the US Signal Corps requisitioned all wartime flags from Annin and by the beginning of the Civil War in 1864, there was not a single Union battlefield brigade or division that did not use Annin flags. Annin supplied flags for Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration and an Annin flag draped Lincoln’s casket. Annin flags were used for the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883, and in 1909 for Robert Peary’s arrival at the North Pole and for Richard E. Byrd’s arrival at the South Pole in 1929. In the meantime, because of the demand for flags during World War I, Annin closed the Fulton Street location and built a modern building in Veron, New Jersey which opened in 1918. An Annin flag was raised on Iwo Jima by the Marines in 1945. It was an Annin flag that was taken to the Moon on the NASA Apollo 11 Mission in 1969. The 1976 United States Bicentennial flags were manufactured by Annin and the POW design by Newt Heisley in 1971 was the inception of the POWMIA flag in 1972. Annin bought the competitive flag companies, Colonial Flag Co. in Coshocton, Ohio in 1975; Dettra Flag Company in Oaks, Pennsylvania and in 2010 purchased FlagZone in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania.Ahugemanufacturing building and warehouse was built in Cochocton, Ohio in 2001 and a large distribution facility was added in 2004. A large facility was built in South Boston, Virginia in 2003 and in 2006, Annin bought the embroidery company in Cobbs Creek, Virginia. An interesting note in the Annin Company’s story is that following the June 2015 events of the Charleston Church shooting, Annin no longer sells Confederate flags. There are other companies that distribute flags, which include, FlagSource, Eder, and Valley Forge. Since 1776, there have been 27 versions of the American flag. The first flag was designed by Francis Hopkinson, a Congressman from New Jersey. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and was appointed by the Continental Navy Board to design a flag. He submitted a variety of designs to Congress and the 3 - 2 - 3 - 2- 3 star pattern was accepted. This 13-star flag was flown on all naval ships until 1916 when President Woodrow Wilson discontinued the practice. Francis Hopkinson asked to be paid in a “quarter cask of public wine.” But was refused. According to one source he then asked for what would now be $3375, and again Congress refused saying that he had worked with others to come up with the design. Don’t forget to fly your flag Memorial Day weekend. The American flag is correctly taken to the top of the pole and then brought to half mast on Memorial Day, but according to protocol, at noon the flag should be raised to the top of the pole to show that the nation lives, because the flag is the symbol of the living nation. Flags
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