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“Flags Are US” to cover notable flags throughout history

 

COLUMBUS—Local content creator Mark Levin and House of Flags Director Robert Williamson recently partnered to publish a series of short videos entitled “Flags Are US,” focusing on flags that have played an important role in the history of the United States.

Each episode will feature interesting tidbits about a specific flag, and new videos will be posted regularly. The House of Flags Museum in downtown Columbus displays hundreds of flags and is the only museum of its kind in the country.

“We have about 300 flags on display. These are authentic reproduction flags that represent the history of the United States of America, from the very beginnings up to modern times,” Williamson said in the first video of the series.

Levin, a contributor for the Tryon Daily Bulletin, is well-known in the area for his YouTube Channel, “The Country Life with Columbus Mark,” which features interesting people and locations from our area and from states all across the US. The channel currently has over 200 videos and over 1,400 subscribers.

“We thought this would be a fun series to work on,” said Levin. “The House of Flags offers a wealth of information and history, and we think it’s important to help share that with viewers around the world.”

Some of the topics that will be featured in upcoming episodes include “Rattlesnake flags of the Revolutionary War Era,” “Our Nation’s 15-Stripe Flag,” and “South Carolina – It’s Not a Crescent Moon.”

The first flag featured in the new series is the “Hornet’s Nest” flag, North Carolina’s first unofficial flag dating to 1780 or 1781. 

During the American Revolutionary War, British General Cornwallis and his army finally got a foothold in Charleston, South Carolina, in April and May of 1780. Then, in August 1780, Cornwallis and his troops captured Camden, South Carolina. Marching on to Charlottetown, North Carolina, a battle ensued on September 26, 1780. A handful of North Carolina militiamen turned the 2,000-man British army around and back to South Carolina.

General Cornwallis later referred to Charlottetown and Mecklenburg as a “Hornet’s Nest of Rebellion.” 

The flag features a hornet’s nest and May 20, 1775, the date of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. This flag was most likely designed and flown in Charlotte in early 1781. 

Interestingly, this is why Charlotte is known as the “Hornet’s Nest” city, and its NBA team is the “Charlotte Hornets.”

Visit the House of Flags Museum at 33 Gibson Street in Columbus to learn more about this and 299 other historical flags of our nation. It is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is always free, and group tours can be arranged almost any time. 

If interested in volunteering as a greeter or tour guide, or for more information about the museum, contact the House of Flags at flagmuseum@gmail.com, call 828-894-5640, or visit houseofflags.org.

The most recent episode in the video can be found at https://bit.ly/44S37QC.