The Lincoln Highway National Museum & Archives 102 Old Lincoln Way West Galion, Ohio 44833 (419) 462-2212 Voice (419) 462-2214 Fax (419) 566-0790 Cell

Dear Friends,

And so,
not only was the day
Illuminating...but Glowing as well!!

The Spirit of which,
is best summed up in this photo.

Never seen anything quite like this before,
so thought I better get a shot.

Then while editing the photos,
I noticed the Star,
a 6 pointed Star.

Which brings me to our the next subject.

Back in February of 1997
on my first trip to San Francisco,
I talked the family into a sightseeing trip to
The California Palace of the Legion of Honor
in Lincoln Park to check out the
End of the Lincoln Highway.

At the time,
they had a Picasso Exhibit on display
so I came back later to spend more time.

While touring the exhibits,

I tripped over a most unusual item.

A Lock of George Washington's Hair
and his General's Stars.

But they were 6 pointed
instead of the usual 5.

I'd never seen anything like it,
so I began to investigate.

Turns out his
Commander-In-Chief Flag

has 6 pointed stars as well,
but not the usual hexagram or inverted triangles

that might be associated with the
Star of David.

Humm...

This was getting interesting.

The American Flag
web site has this to say.

"This flag was flown by General Washington
during his winter encampment at Valley Forge.
General Washington had a personal protection guard
called the "Life Guard".

It consisted of a few hand picked men from each colony
and this special guard carried these colors.
It has been suggested that these colors may have been the origin
of the field of stars in our stars and stripes flag."

Click Here to View

So later that year,
on my way back from the Boy Scout Jamboree
I stopped in Valley Forge to check it out.

Not only did they have this poster,
but they have the actual flag.

Then one day I was in Yorktown,
so I stopped to check out the Battlefield.

In the gift shop,
was a cartoon coloring book on flags.

Well,
why not??

And then,
there they were again...

at the Battle of Trenton,
but this time they were in a circle.

And then,
for the first time
they appeared elsewhere...

In the Great Seal...twice,
6 pointed stars within a 6 pointed star,

then on Miss Liberty,
and for the first time in
The Standard of the United States.

Then again,

at the Battle of Yorktown...

and the Battle of Monmouth
with Molly Pitcher.

Granted they were just cartoons,
but they were based on historical fact.

That being said,
it was going to take more than a few cartoons
to satisfy my need for real
"Meat and Potatos".

So I checked with a flag expert,
but was never able to get any solid answers
to my questions.

Almost 5 years pass,
then Bingo...

A day or so before the end of my trip
last year on the Fourth of July,
I happened to catch a show about flags
on the History Channel.

The next day,
I called the guy up
and popped the big question.

While he could give no explanation
for the 6 pointed stars
other than British Heraldry,
he did confirm that Francis Hopkinson
not only designed the Great Seal,
but the first American Flag as well.

Both with 6 pointed stars.

For more information on Francis Hopkinson
and the first American Flag

Click Here

And you can even buy one for
$43.00.

And so once again,
we have come full circle.

Warmest Regards,

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