Five Things You Might Not Know About the U.S. Flag-- Part 3: One of the First U.S. Flags Had the Union Jack of Britain in It

Raised during the American Revolution, the first American flag featured, strangely enough, the Union Jack of Great Britain.

The Continental Colors consisted of 13 horizontal stripes of red and white, to which a canton (the square in the upper left corner in case you're wondering) depicting the British flag.

During the Siege of Boston, General George Washington raised this flag on January 1, 1776.

Its design is a reminder that the Revolution's original goal was not independence from Britain but the restoration of the colonists' liberties under British law.

On June 14, 1777, almost a year after the Declaration of Independence, Congress replaced the British flag with 13 white stars on a blue field, representing the United States as "a new constellation" in the heavens, alongside older nations and empires.

--DaCoot

Lighthouse Stamps Out-- Part 3: Sally Snowman and the Lights

Sally Snowman was hired as the Boston Light lighthouse keeper in 2003 after volunteering there and co-authoring Boston Light: A Historical Perspective. Her job includes cleaning and maintenance and "light housekeeping" as she likes to joke. She wears attire like the first keepers would have worn after the Revolutionary War.

She says lighthouses stand for hope, "For those immigrants who came into Boston, seeing Boston Light was the hope of a new beginning. And when people have survived shipwrecks in Boston Harbor are asked about what kept them going-- what helped them keep the faith-- many said it was this lighthouse.

Jeff Gales of the U.S. Lighthouse Society says the stamps will help raise interest in these storied pieces of American architecture. "Eash lighthouse had their own light pattern," a pattern of light movements which would distinguish one lighthouse from another." There was a book that identified these light patterns in these days before GPS. Lighthouses also often were painted with different patterns which made them distinguishable in daylight.

We'll Leave the Light On. --Cooter

Lighthouse Stamps Out-- Part 2: Boston Light-- Oldest U.S. Lighthouse

The series will also commemorate the Portland Head lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine; the Portsmouth Harbor lighthouse in New Castle, N.H.; the Point Judith lighthouse in Narragansett, R.I.; and the New London Harbor lighthouse in New London, Ct.

BOSTON LIGHT

Boston Light, on Little Brewster Island, is the only lighthouse in the United States that still has a keeper. That would be Sally Snowman, even though the lighhouse was fully automated. A 1989 congressional mandate (I hate congressional mandates) said there must be someone on site because of its historical importance. (built in 1716, it is the oldest lighthouse in the country).

In 1719, Boston Light became the first North American lighthouse to install a cannon to signal ships in the fog. It was occupied by royal forces in the Revolutionary War and burned several times.

More to Come. --Cooter

Lighthouse Stamps Out-- Part 1: Boston Light

From the July 12, 2013, USA Today "Massachusetts: Stamps shine a light on an American icon" by Molly Vorwerck.

"Lighthouse are icons of a bygone American seascape. Now the U.S. Postal Service hopes to capitalize on their appeal with its sixth series in a collection of stamps commemorating some of America's most historic lighthouses."

The 46-cent "forever" stamps were released July 12th and showcase five New England lighthouses. (I have my sheet already. Something else I don't need to collect.)

The Boston Harbor lighthouse, known as the Boston Light, was built in 1716 and is the oldest one in the country and the only one still run by a keeper. Sally Snowman does the job, even though it is fully automated.
More to Come. --DaCoot

America's Oldest Lighthouse

From the August 5th Parade Magazine.

Built in 1716, the Boston Light on Little Brewster Island in Massachusetts is the nation's oldest.  But because it was reconstructed in 1783 after being damaged in the Revolutionary War, the oldest lighthouse as it was originally built is the Sandy Hook Lighthouse in New Jersey which dates from 1764.

Both landmarks are still in use, and the Boston Light is the only light station that still retains an official Coast Guard keeper. 

National Lighthouse Day was August 5th this year.

We'll Leave a Light On.  --DaCoot