Rare, Revolutionary-Era Flag Now On Display

Boston, MA - Mark this year's Flag Day by taking a trip back through time.

Boston's Commonwealth Museum is displaying a rare, early American flag that dates back to the American Revolution. At nearly 230 years old, it is considered one of the oldest existing flags with 13 stripes and bars, representing the early American colonies. It is on loan to the museum from James Mooney, of Ohio, whose family acquired the flag in 1901.

It is believed the flag was flown over Castle Island, the site of a Boston Harbor fort since the 1630’s, according to the museum's director.

It is part of a larger exhibit on Castle and Fort Independence on display through Labor Day 2016.

The exhibit highlights the fort's history with emphasis on documents from the Massachusetts Archives, including a colonial governor who attempted to escape in “women’s apparel” after his arrest by colonists, British officials who fled to the “castle” on the eve of the Revolution and a young solider you might have heard of - Edgar Allen Poe.

"Castle Island and Fort Independence have played a fascinating role in Massachusetts history," Director Stephen Kenney told Patch.

>> Photo courtesy Commonwealth Museum