“Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation.”

While folklore often highlights the upholstery shop of Betsy Ross, historical records point heavily to Francis Hopkinson—a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a talented designer—as the true architect of the original layout. At its inception, this standard wasn’t intended for front porches or schoolrooms; it was primarily engineered as a naval ensign to identify American vessels on the high seas, signaling to the world that a sovereign power had stepped onto the global stage.

The Connecticut Connection & The Long Path to a National Holiday

For more than a century after that initial congressional vote, the United States did not officially celebrate the flag’s anniversary. The custom developed slowly from the ground up, driven by individual communities, passionate schoolteachers, and patriotic organizations.
Notably, one of the earliest recorded community-wide observances took place right here in Hartford, Connecticut, during the tense summer of 1861. As the Civil War threatened to tear the nation apart, citizens in Hartford gathered on June 14 to display the colors as an explicit, powerful demonstration of unity and dedication to the Union.
Later in the nineteenth century, educators like Bernard J. Cigrand—a schoolteacher often remembered as the “Father of Flag Day”—pushed relentlessly to formalize the occasion. He led classroom lessons and wrote tireless appeals to Congress, believing that understanding the flag was vital to teaching civic history.
The political journey toward national recognition spanned decades:

• Presidential Proclamation by Woodrow Wilson establishing Flag Day
  June 14, 1916
  President Woodrow Wilson issued the first formal presidential proclamation calling for the nationwide observance of Flag Day on June 14.
• Executive Reaffirmation by Calvin Coolidge on Flag Day
  June 14, 1927
  President Calvin Coolidge issued a second major presidential proclamation, reinforcing the practice and encouraging communities to display the colors on Flag Day.
• Act of Congress Signed by Harry S. Truman finalizing Flag Day
  August 3, 1949
  President Harry S. Truman signed the formal congressional legislation into law, officially designating June 14 as National Flag Day and requiring an annual presidential proclamation.

Standardization and Evolution

As the territory of the nation grew, so did the design. Throughout the nineteenth century, flag-makers arranged the star patterns according to personal or manufacturing preferences, resulting in a wide array of circular, staggered, or clustered star fields.
This variability ended in 1912 when President William Howard Taft issued an executive order standardizing the rows and orientation for the then-new 48-star flag. This rigorous geometric precision carried forward to our current 50-star flag, which was designed by a 17-year-old student named Robert G. Heft for a school project and officially adopted on July 4, 1960, after Hawaii entered the Union.

Protocols of Honor and Remembrance

For the veteran community and active service members, flag etiquette is an essential component of military discipline and deep respect. The flag represents the ultimate sacrifice made by our fallen heroes, and its handling requires strict adherence to traditional protocol.

• Display Hours: The standard custom is to display the flag from sunrise to sunset on buildings and stationary flagstaffs. It may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.
• The Triangular Fold: When the flag is ceremonially lowered and folded, it is tucked into a precise triangular shape representing the tricorn hats worn by the patriots of the American Revolution.
• The Blue Union: When the folding process is complete, only the blue field and its white stars must remain visible, completely encasing the red and white stripes to safeguard the dignity of the colors.
• Proper Retirement: When a flag becomes worn, tattered, or unserviceable through natural wear, it should not be cast into regular trash. Instead, it should be retired with dignity, typically through a solemn, reverent burning ceremony conducted by organizations like The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), or the Civil Air Patrol.
  This Flag Day, as communities across Connecticut display the red, white, and blue, we honor the unbroken thread of history that connects our revolutionary roots to the modern service members who protect our freedom today.

Flag Day Events

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10:00AM – Wolcott

10:30AM – New Haven