Yarn No. 5 · Fred Kimball’s Campfire Yarns

The historic flags

Always on display on the stage at the Scout House, and carried at ceremonies and parades across Miami-Dade.

Troop 7's Historic Flag Collection
Troop 7 has a collection of 20 American flags. The flags are always on display on the stage at the Scout House. Troop 7 is called upon to perform flag ceremonies, parades and at special events throughout Miami-Dade County. This gives us a chance to present our Troop and our flags before the public.

Color guards today

Scouts unfolding a large U.S. flag at a flagpole

Practices

Ask your patrol. Let them argue it out, then tap the question for the answer.

Which flag did the colonies of Jamestown and Plymouth first fly over their stockades?
The red Cross of St. George, the national banner of England.
Which two crosses did King James put together in 1606 to make the Union Flag, and why?
St. George’s cross for England and St. Andrew’s for Scotland, to end the quarrels between English and Scottish ships at sea.
What words were added to the Red Ensign at Taunton in 1774?
“LIBERTY AND UNION.”
What does the Bedford Flag’s motto, “Vince Aut Morire,” mean, and what happened to its fringe?
“Conquer or Die.” Nathaniel Page’s youngest daughter took the silver fringe to trim a dress for a military ball, and was “never more sorry for anything.”
How did paint chemistry help date the Bedford Flag?
Its paint contains Prussian blue, discovered in Berlin in 1704, so it could not have been painted earlier.
What words fly over the Pine Tree Flag of Washington’s Cruisers?
“An Appeal to Heaven.”
What did Sgt. William Jasper do at Fort Moultrie in 1776?
When the flag fell outside the fort onto the beach during a ten-hour bombardment, he walked out and put it back on its staff.
What is unusual about the stars on the Bennington Flag?
They have seven points, and eleven of them arch around the numerals “76.”
How did Betsy Ross make a five-pointed star, by the story her family told?
She folded a sheet of paper several times and made one cut.
How many stripes and stars flew over Fort McHenry?
Fifteen of each. The flag was 42 feet long and 30 feet wide.
Which flag in the collection is an original, and where does it hang?
The 45 Star Flag, framed in the office of the Scout House.
Which flag was carried by the Armed Forces into both World Wars?
The 48 Star Flag.

Game: Name that flag

A color guard knows its flags on sight. Troop 7 has carried these on stages and in parades across Miami-Dade. Name the flag, then read Fred’s line about it.

Open any flag above, cover its name, and see if your patrol can name it.

Collected and written by Fred W. Kimball, Troop 7 Scoutmaster from 1987 to 2003, who kept the troop's website for many years. Brought here with his blessing, in his words.