Flag on Prospect Hill debate
Debate over the flag raised on Prospect Hill in 1776 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
According to tradition, the first flag of the United States, the Grand Union Flag ("Continental Colours"), was raised by General George Washington at Prospect Hill in Somerville, Massachusetts, on 1 January 1776, in an attempt to raise the morale of the men of the Continental Army. There was a 76-foot liberty pole situated on Prospect Hill on 22 August 1775 that "was visible from most parts of the American lines, as well as from Boston".[1][note 1] The standard account has been questioned by modern researchers most notably Peter Ansoff, who in 2006 published a paper entitled "The Flag on Prospect Hill" where he advances the argument that Washington flew the Union Jack ("British Union Flag") and not the Continental Colours that bears 13 stripes.[3] Others, such as Byron DeLear, have argued in favour of the traditional version of events.[4][5][6]
There is a Prospect Hill Monument that was erected in 1903[7][note 2] and annual flag-raising ceremonies involving American Revolutionary War reenactors are held at Prospect Hill on New Year's Day.[9]