CRESTVIEW — The display of service branch and historical flags being dedicated next month in Warriors Hall isn’t the only exhibit of historic banners at the Whitehurst Municipal Building.
Ten reproduction flags from the United States of America’s early history adorn the hallway outside the Crestview Police Department. These include the 15-star, 15-stripe “Star Spangled Banner” and the yellow Gadsden Flag, a Revolutionary War flag bearing a coiled rattlesnake and the motto, “Don’t tread on me.”
Some of the flags, such as the red, white and blue-striped John Paul Jones banner, or the Grand Union flag, which bears the British flag in its field, remind viewers of the nation’s fight for independence.
Also of interest is the First Regimental Colors of 1791, a blue flag with an eagle clutching the federal shield as it bursts through the sun and clouds.
The framed flags, which bear battle scars and tattered edges, were donated to the city by the American Legion, but until Police Chief Tony Taylor discovered them in the Whitehurst Building equipment bay, were not on public view.
The display may now be viewed at any time by visitors to the Crestview Police Department.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: History hangs on the Crestview Police Department's walls (PHOTOS)