Patriot Wood Blog | Handcrafted American Wood Flags

3 Important Grand Union Flag Facts Every American Should Know

Grand Union wood flag / wall art from Patriot Wood

A replica of the Grand Union flag was recently added to PatriotWood.com. While the Grand Union is known as the very first national flag of the United States, we’d like to think that the Patriot Wood version looks better than ever—but we’ll let you be the judge.

We make flags all the time, but it’s not just about creating awesome wood flags—it’s also about recognizing important pieces of history and the stories they tell. A flag becomes more meaningful when you know a little about it.

So, we pulled together three important facts about the Grand Union Flag. Here they are!

The Union Jack will stay unchanged as Scotland votes against independence. 55% of the voters decided it was better for Scotland to remain in the United Kingdom than venture out on its own. The 307-year old union between Scotland and England will continue though the passion of the campaign for independence will most likely endure.

The 200th anniversary of “The Star-Spangled Banner” is today, September 14.

Francis Scott Key was inspired to write “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the War of 1812. He wrote the famous poem after witnessing the Battle of Fort McHenry, during which British warships launched more than 1,500 cannonballs at the fort in an attempt to overtake it. Despite their efforts, Fort McHenry remained intact—and, though tattered, the flag flew overhead after the battle.

You can learn all about the poem—and the flag that inspired it—in a free ebook from Patriot Wood.

Announcing our free eBook: The History of the Star-Spangled Banner

The United States’ national anthem turns 200 years old on September 20, 2014. You sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before every sporting event, but did you know that the song refers to one specific flag in one specific battle?

A wooden replica of the Cowpens flag was recently added to PatriotWood.com. This Revolutionary War–era flag is said to have been flown during the 1781 Battle of Cowpens, an important victory for the American forces—let’s take a look at its design and story.