Hudsons Flag

[oldtvsandtoys]

What ever happen to J. L. Hudson Department Store World's Largest Flag?

[jcole]

I think it went to the Smithsonian; at least according to a picture I saw on the internet. I'll see if I can find that pic.
Here you go:

The world's largest flag, hung on the Hudson's building, is saluted on Flag Day, June 14, 1956. It was retired in 1976 to the Smithsonian Institution.

http://virtualmatter.blogspot.com/20...ons-first.html

[Scottathew]

48-star flag, that's pretty sweet.

[DetroitPlanner]

My mom took a picture of my siblings and I in front of the flag in the early 1970's. I am fairly sure there was a bigger flag that was made that contained all of the stars. I am going to look for that pic.

What was really impressive, and you can see it in the photos, is the number of men it took to keep the flag from flying away!

[p69rrh51]

I think it went to the Smithsonian; at least according to a picture I saw on the internet. I'll see if I can find that pic.
Here you go:

http://virtualmatter.blogspot.com/20...ons-first.html

Yes the Smithsonian has the flag.

[Gistok]

.... and here it is today.....

[DetroitPlanner]

Gistock, snakes... I hate snakes!

[Gistok]

Huh? That's no snake... that's the shadow of the guy pushing the Ark in Raiders of the Lost Ark down the warehouse path. You make a left at the ark... and the flags just down that aisle.

[EZZ]

http://detroitpix.goodluckwith.us/Director04_25_12.html

[oldtvsandtoys]

Which one do they have the 48 star or 50?

[EZZ]

Good question. If the Smithsonian only got one flag, what happened to the other one?

[p69rrh51]

Good question. If the Smithsonian only got one flag, what happened to the other one?

Found this on the Detroit News website.
On Armistice Day 1923, Hudson's unveiled a giant American flag on the side of the store: -- 3700 square feet with eight-foot wide stripes and five and half-foot stars. The huge flag visited the U.S. Capitol Building in 1929 and the World's Fair in 1939 before it was retired in 1949.
The second large flag weighed 1,600 pounds, used 2,038 yards of wool and covered seven stories of the Hudson building. The flag was 104 by 235 feet, and on its debut in 1950 required 55 men to hang it. In 1976, the nation's bicentennial, it was retired and was donated to the Smithsonian Institution, which gave it to the American Flag Foundation in Houston.


From The Detroit News: http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history...#ixzz22rJSQtU6

[EZZ]

Thanx p69rrh51 - great info on Hudson's.

[FlyingJ]

[QUOTE=p69rrh51;334608]In 1976, the nation's bicentennial, it was retired and was donated to the Smithsonian Institution, which gave it to the American Flag Foundation in Houston.

I shook Coleman Young's hand @ the 1976 Flag Day unveiling, I didn't wash it for 5 whole minutes 'til I got a free Boston Cooler from a guy dressed like the Vernor's gnome. Young was surrounded by a braintrust of sketchy guys in panama hats, like "O Brother Where Art Thou". The Vernors Gnome was surrounded by pretty girls wearing green lycra ensembles & people with an avid interest in free ice cream. Young gave a canned speech about "rising from the ashes of 9 years ago" blah blah blah

[p69rrh51]

Thanx p69rrh51 - great info on Hudson's.

Your welcome The flag is very cool and I wish Hudson's left it with the city.

[Gistok]

One interesting fact about the US flag involving Alaska and Hawaii...

On Jan. 3 1959 Alaska became the 49th state and the 49th star was added to the flag at that time.

On Sept. 17 1959 Hawaii became the 50th state, but the 50th star was deferred for nearly 9 months.... apparently for enough time to sell off the remaining supply of 49 star flags to Alaskans.... ... the 50th star was "officially" added to the flag on July 4, 1960.

The 48 star flag was the longest serving American flag in history [[1912-1959) until 2007, when the 50 star flag became the longest serving American flag in history.

Also... FYI... additional stars were not automatically added to the American flag every time an additional state was added. Sometimes several years went by before some stars were added, even though additional states were added to the Union.

One of the longer serving flags was the 26 star "Michigan" flag.... which was in use from 1837 until 1845... when Florida became the 27 star flag [[for a brief period).

Here's the historic flag field of the US flag... some look mighty strange!

http://www.anyflag.com/history/evolut.htm

[56packman]

The flag was made and maintained by the George P Johnson company. They have a large format picture of it in their lobby in Auburn Hills.

[DetroitPlanner]

I shook Coleman Young's hand @ the 1976 Flag Day unveiling, I didn't wash it for 5 whole minutes 'til I got a free Boston Cooler from a guy dressed like the Vernor's gnome. Young was surrounded by a braintrust of sketchy guys in panama hats, like "O Brother Where Art Thou". The Vernors Gnome was surrounded by pretty girls wearing green lycra ensembles & people with an avid interest in free ice cream. Young gave a canned speech about "rising from the ashes of 9 years ago" blah blah blah

I can remember getting a small box of Sander's Vernors Ice Cream on a Flag Day. I wonder if it was the same one?

[punky1]

Some help here? I tried finding the American Flag Foundation. I can only find it listed for Maryland, not Texas, and their website said they were chartered in 1982 as the National Flag Day Foundation and then renamed the American Flag Foundation in 2005. I am not finding anything about the Hudson flag being in their possession. Did someone lose "our" Hudson flag?

[Roger Park]

There was only one version. In 1960, Hudson's commissioned a new canton with 50 stars. When you saw the flag the last several times it was displayed, the stars were a bright white and the stripes were more of a ​winter white.

This link states that the flag was destroyed because it had deteriorated badly. Because it was wool, it was a target for moths and other vermin. I spoke to the flag curator of the Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution during a visit in August 2013 and she confirmed that the flag had been burned in its wooden case.

[canuck]

There was only one version. In 1960, Hudson's commissioned a new canton with 50 stars. When you saw the flag the last several times it was displayed, the stars were a bright white and the stripes were more of a ​winter white.

This link states that the flag was destroyed because it had deteriorated badly. Because it was wool, it was a target for moths and other vermin. I spoke to the flag curator of the Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution during a visit in August 2013 and she confirmed that the flag had been burned in its wooden case.

Wasn't that somehow ill-eagle?

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

A bit off topic, but I once bought someone a 26 star flag - the flag after Michigan was admitted. Fly that and you'll get a question or two.

http://www.usflagdepot.com/store/media/26star.gif

[archfan]

Wasn't that somehow ill-eagle?

Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Code, paragraph [[k) says:

[[k) The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.

[Sandhouse]

The wooden crate was red, white and blue, so it was easy to find in the warehouse. I saw it after the flag had been stuffed back into it in June of 1970. It could fit into a 2-axle truck. I'm not surprised that it has been disposed of. Where would you hang it?

When I saw the Hudson's building a couple days before it was demolished, i noticed the davits the flag hung from were still in place.