Colonial New Years Celebrations

Susan F. Craft
Award-winning author of The Chamomile
A Revolutionary War Romantic Suspense

Until the year 1752 Colonial Americans celebrated the New Year on the evening of March 24. In 1753, based on the Gregorian calendar, they began celebrating New Year’s on December 31.

In the early American colonies, the sounds of pistol shots rang through the air, and colonists continued the traditions of their various homelands.

Scottish customs:

• In the 17th century, the government had suppressed Christmas celebrations, so Scotland turned to New Year's Eve for its end-of-year frivolity, called Hogmanay.
• First footing on Hogmanay: The first foot to cross a threshold after midnight will predict the next year's fortune. Although the tradition varies, those deemed especially fortunate as "first footers" are new brides, new mothers, those who are tall and dark or anyone born on January 1. The first person to enter a home after midnight on the first day of the year should be a male, preferably with dark hair. Blondes may have been associated with Vikings – visitors who never brought good luck. The first-footer should carry a gift, such as a coin for prosperity, bread for food, salt for flavor, or whiskey to represent good cheer.
  
• Hot Pot: On New Year’s Day, the Scottish drank spiced "hot pot” – their version of wassail—first a glass or two at home before sharing with neighbors. Young ladies would get together, prepare a large bowl of wassail, and carry it from house to house, sharing the warm drink with their neighbors, and receiving small gifts in return. This was called "wassailing."

Irish customs:

• Mistletoe was handed out to ward off bad luck, and single women put a sprig of mistletoe under their pillows in hopes of catching a dream about their future husbands.
• Pounding on the doors and windows of the house with bread was done to chase out evil spirits and ensure bread for the upcoming year.

Japanese customs:

• A full week before the new year, the house must be thoroughly cleaned, so that no evil spirits can linger.
• All debts must be paid, and all disagreements must be resolved and forgiven. Before midnight, 108 bells ring, to symbolize the elimination of 108 troubles. With no troubles, disagreements, debts, or disorder to contend with, all are free to welcome in the new year with expectations of peace and prosperity.
• The day after New Year’s is First Writing Day, when people write their hopes and dreams for the new year.

Chinese customs:

• Tangerines are often given for good luck, but odd numbers are unlucky, so the tangerines are given in pairs.
• The third day of the new year is the day the mice marry off their daughters, so people go to bed early, so they don’t disturb the mice.

Other Colonial New Year’s customs:

• Christian churches held "watch-night" services, a custom that began in 1770 at Old St. Georges Methodist Church in Philadelphia.
• It was customary to give small gifts on New Year’s Day, usually a capon (hen) or pomade made from an orange with cloves stuck in it and tied with a ribbon and dusted with cinnamon.

New Year’s Superstitions:

• It was believed that if New Year's Day opened with red skies, that the following year would be full of strife and debates between people, and that robberies would be common.
• Before eating breakfast, people would take turns opening a Bible completely at random. Then a verse would be pointed to on the two open pages. The randomly chosen verse was believed to foreshadow the events of the following year for the participant.

Auld Lang Syne--Many Years Ago

By Naomi Rawlings

Auld Lang Syne is perhaps one of the most played tunes around the world on New Year's Eve. The lyrics come from a 200 year old poem written by Robert Burns (of "The best laid schemes o' mice and men" fame). Burns was the most famous of Scots poets, writing in the traditional Scots dialect, and has been hailed as a national hero by many Scotsmen and Scotswomen.

So what does the title Auld Lang Syne mean? Well, exact interpretations vary, though they all carry a similar meaning. "Old long since," "long, long ago," "days gone by" and "old times" are all possible meanings. The "cup of kindness" mentioned in the chorus refers to a drink shared between friends. Below you'll find an illustration of Auld Lang Syne by John Masey Wright and John Rogers.

Robert Burns claims to have written the "old, old song" down rather than created it himself. Indeed, some of his lyrics bear a striking resemblance to a ballad published at the beginning of the 18th Century, though some of them appear to be original. The tune comes from a traditional Scottish folk song, and the lyrics are as follows:

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and old lang syne?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!

and surely I’ll buy mine!

And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,

and picked the daisies fine;

But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,

since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,

from morning sun till dine†;

But seas between us broad have roared

since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend!

And give me a hand o’ thine!

And we’ll take a right good-will draught,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

Here's Auld Lang Syne sung by Dougie Maclean, one of Scotland's most famous contemporary singers and songwriters. Some of the lyrics are in the original Scots dialect.

Do you sing Auld Lang Syne on New Year's Eve? When are some other times you think the song might be appropriate to sing? And did you have any idea the lyrics had been written by a famous poet?

From everyone here at Heroes, Heroines, and History, have a Happy New Year!

~.~.~.~.~

A mother of two young boys, Naomi Rawlings spends her days picking up, cleaning, playing and, of course, writing. Her husband pastors a small church in Michigan’s rugged Upper Peninsula, where her family shares its ten wooded acres with black bears, wolves, coyotes, deer and bald eagles. Naomi and her family live only three miles from Lake Superior, where the scenery is beautiful and they average 200 inches of snow per winter. She is looking forward to the release of her fourth novel, Falling for the Enemy, in January 2015. For more information about Naomi, please visit her website at www.naomirawlings.com.

The Ancient Practice of Bloodletting by Jillian Kent

Ancient Greek painting on a vase, showing a physician (iatros) bleeding a patient

I'm sure by now you've had your fill of Christmas posts and you may feel this one belongs closer to Halloween, but hey, we all have our interests and medical history has always intrigued me as I know it intrigues some of you.



 


So why was the cutting of a vein and the loss of blood through such a method even done let alone done frequently throughout history?

I found more information (including why bloodletting is back and never actually disappeared altogether) about this fascinating medical practice in an article on the Med-Tech Blog.

"Bloodletting is one of the humanity's oldest medical practices, dating back thousands of years and linked to many ancient cultures, including the Mayans, Aztecs, Egyptians and Mesopotamians. The typical purpose was to cure a person suffering from some kind of infirmity (leprosy, plague, pneumonia, stroke, inflammation, herpes, acne – pretty much anything). The patient was pierced or cut and then drained of several ounces of blood until they fainted." Sounds like it would put you asleep for days if it didn't kill you outright. Right? Who was that author who said, " Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed." See, bloodletting cures all woes or does it? I'd suggest you not try this in desperation of your next sentence.

Leech

Another source of bloodletting was the leech. Lovely looking little critter isn't he?
"Leeches were also used for bloodletting. Applied to the skin, this type of worm can suck several times its original body weight in blood. The use of leeches in Europe peaked between 1830 and 1850, then fell into decline. This was firstly a result of the invention of ‘mechanical leeches’, and then changes in medical models of the body. Today, leeches are used in surgery to help heal skin grafts and restore blood circulation. Their usefulness is no longer attributed to the amount of blood they can suck out, but to an enzyme in their saliva which helps blood flow freely." The Science Museum.

The Chirurgeon's Apprentice

"A surgeon or barber might also use heated cups and an instrument known as a scarificator to bleed a patient. When applied to the skin, the cups created blisters which were then sliced open using a multi-blade instrument that inflicted wounds on the vessels just beneath the skin. Although painful, this approach carried less risk than venesection as the cut was often more superficial."

I hope this short exploration of bloodletting has been both entertaining and informational. For those of you who are interested and have strong stomachs, very strong stomachs, you may want to explore further on the history of medicine with Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris. Like those of us here at HHH her focus on history. She answers in an interview you can read all of here.

Why is history important today?

Our understanding of the present is filtered through our knowledge of the past. History gives value to the here and now.

I couldn't have said it better myself. So what about you members and fans of HHH? Why is history important to you? Can you think of anything you discovered on our blog this year that was especially interesting or meaningful to you? If so, please share and tell us the name of the blog post and who wrote it.

Happy New Year and may we see and hear from you often in 2015.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jillian is employed as a counselor for nursing students in Cincinnati, Ohio and possesses a masters degree in social work. She is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors and passionate about mental health, wellness, and stomping out the stigma of mental illness. You can explore further at her website www.jilliankent.com where you can read more about her novels..She invites you to join her on Twitter @JillKentAuthor and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JillianKent

Tidbits about Board Games

I put this post together for my blog earlier this month and it was a very popular post. So, I thought I'd share these tidbits with all of you at Heroes, Heroines, and History. For those of you who are writers, you might find some of these Board Games fun to add to your novels.

Below are some images from an 1891 Youth's Companion displaying various games available at the time. Many you will already know, perhaps you have some in your game closets as well.

Basalinda (Looks to me like a very early version of battleship)

Bean Bag & Ring Toss

Fish Pond

Game of Halma
(apparently designed as a scientific game combining chess and checkers)

Jolly Marble Game

Parlor & Lawn Tennis

Royal Parchessi

Table Croquet

Tiddledy-winks, tennis, hop scotch.

Lynn A. Coleman is an award winning & best-selling author who makes her home in Keystone Heights, Florida, with her husband of 40 years. Lynn's newest novel THE INNKEEPER'S WIFE released last month. It is the second in her Historical St. Augustine, FL. series. If you are interested in 19th Century Carriages & Wagons follow the enclosed link.
Check out her 19th Century Historical Tidbits Blog if you like exploring different tidbits of history.

What's Your State Song?

by Linda Farmer Harris

I grew up, graduated high school, and married in the Land of Enchantment-New Mexico. Even after forty-eight years of being gone, I'm still stirred by the state song, learning history we didn't have time for in school, and seeing roadrunners and horned toads.

Part of my fascination extends to the remarkable New Mexico women. Long before strong women emerged as norm in our culture, they were carving out their places as artist, potters, writers, miners, inventors, singers, cowgirls, architects, and Harvey Girls. See Cynthia Hickey's HH&H blogs for more information about the Harvey Girls. Plus, my HH&H entry on March 27, 2013 - Hospitality Southwest Style.

My mother was a New Mexico Artisan. She wasn't famous outside her little corner of southeast New Mexico, but she had a skill and talent that she honed into incredible pottery and ceramics. She had the gift of seeing liquid colors that looked clear and colorless to me and accurately knowing how much and where to put them on the pottery. She left us with an appreciation for Southwest art and music.

Do you know your state song? Who wrote it? Below is the first verse and chorus of mine. You can find the whole song at 50States.com.

     Under a sky of azure, where balmy breezes blow;
     Kissed by the golden sunshine, is Nuevo Mejico.
     Home of the Montezuma, with fiery hearts aglow,
     State of the deeds historic, is Nuevo Mejico.

Chorus
     O, fair New Mexico, we love, we love you so.
     Our hearts with pride o'verflow, no matter where we go,
     O, fair New Mexico, we love, we love you so.
     The grandest state to know, New Mexico.

Elizabeth Garrett, daughter of Sheriff Pat Garrett, penned and published O, Fair New Mexico in 1915 and, after performing the song for the New Mexico Legislature, it was voted as the official state song in 1917 (New Mexico Statutes, Chapter 12, Article 3, Section 5). Yes, her dad was the former Lincoln County Sheriff who shot Billy the Kid.

Courtesy of University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Special Collections

Elizabeth lost her eyesight due to an over-application of blue vitrol to her eyes a few hours after she was born. She graduated from Texas School for the Blind in Austin, Texas. In addition to becoming a nationally recognized soprano, she became a qualified voice and piano teacher. It's reported that eastern "audiences were appreciative of her talents and her interesting compositions about the far-west land of New Mexico." She was known as the Songbird of the Southwest. Elizabeth was a remarkable woman. There's so much more to her rich and incredible history.

I was born in Arkansas and lived there until the fourth grade. Not enough time to learn the state song in Arkansas history class. So, I looked up the 1916 song written and published by Mrs. Eva Ware Barnett and Will M. Ramsey. It was adopted by the Arkansas Senate Concurrent Resolution No, 6, in January 1917. 

Courtesy of The Jonesboro Weekly, January, 1917

Below is the first verse and chorus. You can find the whole song at Wikipedia.

     I am thinking tonight of the Southland,
     Of the home of my childhood days,
     Where I roamed through the woods and the meadows
     By the mill and the brook that plays;
     Where the roses are in bloom
     And the sweet magnolia too,
     Where the jasmine is white
     And the fields are violet blue,
     There a welcome awaits all her children
     Who have wandered afar from home.

Chorus
     Arkansas, Arkansas, tis a name dear,
     'Tis the place I call "home, sweet home";
     Arkansas, Arkansas, I salute thee,
     From thy shelter no more I'll roam.

I'm confident you've heard Texas, Our Texas during football TV half-times, so I won't jot part of it down here.

Our new home state of Colorado adopted Where the Columbines Grow written and music by A. J. Fynn on May 8, 1915 (Senate Bill 308, Colorado Revised Statute 24-80-909). 

Below is the first verse. Read more at 50states.com.

     Where the snowy peaks gleam in the moonlight,
     above the dark forests of pine,
     And the wild foaming waters dash onward,
     toward lands where the tropic stars shine; 
     Where the scream of the bold mountain eagle,
     responds to the notes of the dove
     Is the purple robed West, the land that is best,
     the pioneer land that we love.

You can see how the state's nature and characteristics are mirrored in the songs.

Does your state have multiple state songs, anthems or historical songs?

If you don't know your state's song, visit United States State Songs. 

Before you go, I can't resist another question. Does your state have an official cookie? 

New Mexico has the Biscochito or Bizcochitos. Adopted in 1989, it was chosen to help maintain traditional home-baked cookery. 

Courtesy of Zia Diner, Santa Fe Restaurant, via quazoo.com

I can see a holiday batch coming up - complete with the Fleur de Lis cookie design that was the original preference. If you try the Biscochito let me know.

Blessings and Happy New Year,

Lin

Lin is learning to bake at high altitudes. A chef in Grand Junction shared that using flour with 4 grams of Protein is the key to reliable Colorado baking. It works. Most popular brand flours have 3 grams of protein. She's been able to bake her father's family famous dinner rolls and popovers.

Temperance Movement in the US

It’s funny how writers go from an idea to research to a story, but more than anything it’s fun for me to look back at some of the things I end up researching on my computer. Mostly I don’t think about it at the time. There’s information I need, and the internet has it. But let’s just hope the FBI hasn’t tapped my internet connection thinking I’m headed for mischief. Because I write so many genres, there’s no telling what I might be researching. Rat poison (even better how to kill someone using rat poison), Amish wedding traditions, the origin of the hamburger, and how many cops a town of 1500 should have. (On this last one, I still think they’re keeping tabs on me. lol)

But I ran across my research about the temperance movement the other day and since we are heading up on the biggest drinking holiday of the year, I thought I might share.

The Temperance movement began in the early 1800s. This is not to say

that people hadn’t been against drinking before this. The movement got them organized. At first the members only wanted to make people “temperate” in their drinking or to make them drink less. But by the 1820s they started advocating total abstinence, urging people to stop drinking completely. The movement was persuasive in helping pass laws that banned the sale of liquor in several states.

For the most part the movement was made up of women and their children who felt they had suffered from their husband’s/father’s drinking. Unfortunately most had. Keep in mind that women weren’t allowed in most of the drinking establishments. This further separated them from the men in their lives. Another fact that is very important: In many parts of the country very few beverages existed that didn’t contain alcohol. Often it was considered healthier to drink liquor of one sort or another instead of water, which was often unclean.

Temperance also connected many other reform movements that came up between

the American Revolution and the Civil War. Many of these movements created a renewed interest in religion. They called this The Second Great Awakening. The ministers of this awakening preached in an energetic and emotional manner, perhaps something like the charismatic preachers of today. But these intense religious experiences weren’t just for Sunday church meetings. Tents and open-air "revivals" were very influential in The Second Great Awakening. The American Society for the Promotion of Temperance (1826) was interdenominational. Thanks to the ties between religion and temperance there were around 6,000 local temperance groups by the 1830s.

People were inspired to make the world a better place. Or to at least try. Reform movements rose to improve all aspects of society: the rights of women, a call for the end to slavery, care for the mentally challenged, fair treatment of prisoners, and many others. Temperance was at the center of most of these reform movements because many of these reformers believed in abstinence. Through their work with temperance movement circles these reformers met and began to look for ways to improve other parts of society.

The temperance movement also produced a second reform era, Progressivism. This period was categorized by taking the efforts to reform society and pushing them one step further. Among others, these restructurings included women's right to vote as well as equal pay for women, birth control, child labor improvements, the eight-hour work day and environmental conservation.

A few interesting facts about the temperance movement:

When people took the pledge to stop drinking they joined what was called the "Cold Water Army."

The temperance movement wasn’t an American concept. There were also temperance movements throughout Europe at the time. 

Irish Temperance Movement

Notable figures associated with the U.S. temperance movement-- Susan B. Anthony, Frances E. Willard, and Carry A. Nation who worked largely by herself. 

Carry A. Nation

The temperance movement peaked when the 18th Amendment to the Constitution (Prohibition, 1919-33) was passed and ratified. 

But Prohibition was not a success and was repealed in 1933 by the 21st Amendment.

The most well-known temperance effort in the modern day is Alcoholics Anonymous.

Regardless of your personal stand on alcohol, it is apparent that the temperance movement that began in the 19th century had lasting effects. 

Happy New Year, everyone! And if you go out to imbibe, please drink responsibly!

The Christmas Truce of 1914

Merry Christmas to you from Jennifer Uhlarik! I hope you all are having a wonderful day with family and friends, and remembering the true meaning of this blessed season.

Perhaps some of you have already heard of the Christmas Truce of 1914, but I was so taken with the story that I thought I would share it with you. It’s such a wonderful piece of history, you can’t help but enjoy it, even if it’s not “new” to you. The story goes like this:

On Christmas Eve, just five months after the start of World War I, soldiers from both sides sat shivering in their respective trenches along the Western Front when the Germans began to sing Christmas carols. The familiar songs carried across the distance to the English, and they also began to sing. It’s said that in some places, soldiers brought out instruments to accompany the singing. Through the night, both German and English troops sang in their respective languages.

Soldiers mingling during the Christmas Truce of 1914.

By dawn on Christmas morning, a few brave Germans ventured out of their trenches to cross into no-man’s land and approach the Allied forces. At first, the English soldiers were wary, expecting a trick, but they saw that none of the opposing troops carried weapons. Only then did they crawl out of their trenches and step out to meet their fellow man.



Enjoying a moment of peace in the thick of war.

These troops converged between their respective sides, shook hands, talked, and even played a friendly game of soccer together. Having nothing other than what little they could carry with them, they exchanged cigarettes and chocolate as gifts. For a brief time, Allied and German soldiers met together in order to celebrate Christmas. It mattered not that later that day or the next they would return to fighting. For that one moment, they were at peace, staring into the eyes of their avowed enemies in order to experience a moment of true peace and harmony.

Please enjoy this brief depiction of the Christmas Truce of 1914 which I found online.

My wish for you this Christmas is that you will also experience true peace as you contemplate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. May you all be blessed today and all year through! Merry CHRISTmas!

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won five writing competitions and finaled in two other competitions. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenaged son, and four fur children.

Smile, Pardner--It's Christmas!

 

If you’re like me, you’ve probably had your fill of Christmas cheer and gift wrappings about now, and are longing for a little bit of that “peace on earth” we keep hearing about.

Still, no matter how hectic our lives might seem at the moment nothing compares to Christmas in the old west.  Instead of forging through crowded malls early pioneer women living in canvas homes, soddies and log cabins, battled blizzards, bitter cold and driving winds. In 1849, Catherine Haun wrote in her diary that her family’s Christmas present was the rising of the Sacramento River that flooded the whole town.

Those of you planning to travel this holiday season might empathize with the passengers who spent Christmas of 1870 on the Kansas-Pacific train stuck in snow.  Fortunately, soldiers from a nearby fort provided fresh buffalo meat, which is a whole lot more than you get today if stuck at the airport. 

We don’t generally associate fireworks with Christmas, but for some early settlers it was the only way to celebrate. In 1895, a riot broke out in Austin on Christmas Day when revelers shot off Roman candles. Fortunately, law and order was soon restored, but other parts of Texas weren’t so lucky.  The Fort Worth Gazette reported several incidences of people being shot and stabbed on Christmas Day over the use of Roman candles.  In some places, fireworks were encouraged as this piece in a 1880s newspaper attests: “Firecrackers are in evidence creating the genuine Christmas atmosphere of gunpowder smoke.” 

While most pioneers decorated Christmas trees with strung popcorn, berries and pictures from Arbuckle’s coffee, McCade, Texas takes the prize for the most unusual ornaments.  On Christmas morning in 1883, three men were found hanging from a tree.  If that wasn’t festive enough, the shootout that followed provided “genuine atmosphere” a-plenty.  

What is Christmas without a feast?  Even the poorest of families managed to splurge a little.  Oysters were considered a luxury and one bride in Montana proudly served them to her guests on Christmas Day, unaware that the oysters had spoiled during transport.

Crime never takes a holiday and that was as true back then as it is now. On Christmas day in 1873,  Indians stole five army horses near the Concho River resulting in a shootout.  In 1877 Sam Bass robbed a Fort Worth stagecoach of $11.25, and in 1889 Butch Cassidy pulled his first bank holdup on Christmas Eve at a Telluride, Colorado bank.  

In case you were wondering, Christmas wasn’t all gunfire and fireworks. In 1881 Tombstone, Arizona Territory made news for having a “quiet” holiday.  Not to worry, they made up for it the following year.

Come to think of it, maybe those crowded malls aren't so bad, after all, even without the “genuine Christmas atmosphere.”  

www.margaret-brownley.com

 Merry Christmas 

from All of Us to All of You!

The Fifteen-Star Flag

by Susan Page Davis

The United States flag started out with thirteen stars and thirteen stripes.


But when two new states were added, a banner with fifteen stars and also fifteen stripes became our nation’s official flag on May 1, 1795 and continued as our ensign for twenty-three years. It is the only official flag to ever have more than thirteen stripes.

 

This flag was adopted to recognize the admission of Vermont and Kentucky as states when they joined the original thirteen. The addition of the extra two stars and two stripes had been approved by Congress in the Flag Act of 1794.

This flag was the one flying over Fort McHenry, in Maryland, during the War of 1812, when Francis Scott Key wrote our national anthem. For that reason, the fifteen-star flag is also known as The Star-Spangled Banner. The British failed to capture Fort McHenry during that attack.

The huge flag over the fort measured 30 by 42 feet and was specially made when Major George Arminstead, commander of Fort McHenry at the time, said he wanted “a flag so large that the British would have no difficulty seeing it from a distance.”

The flags for the fort were made by a local woman, Mary Young Pickersgill, under a government commission. Her daughter, two nieces, and an African-American indentured servant helped stitch the flags. The largest one was called the garrison flag, and a somewhat smaller one was called the storm flag.

This is the actual flag that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814, photographed in 1873 in the Boston Navy Yard by George Henry Preble.

After the battle, some pieces were cut off the damaged flag as souvenirs. One of the stars was also cut away. The remaining part of the flag measures 30 by 34 feet.

The Fort McHenry flag has undergone several restoration efforts at the Smithsonian Institution, and can now be seen there with a display that helps the viewer see the dimensions of the original flag.

George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe all served under the fifteen-star flag.

Congress passed the Flag Act of 1818, since five more states had been admitted to the Union. This act added five new stars to the flag and reduced the number of stripes from fifteen to thirteen. From then on, our flag has always had thirteen stripes. The five additional stars represented Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, and Mississippi.

Soon Illinois was added, so the flag had 21 stars, and on it went, until Alaska was added in 1959 and Hawaii in 1960, when our flag took on its current look, with 50 stars.

So, what do you think of our flag? Should we have kept on adding stripes? Left the flag with 13 stars and 13 stripes? Or some other design? I love our Star-Spangled banner, but I'd love to hear what YOU think.


Susan Page Davis is the author of more than fifty published novels. Her newest novellas can be found in the 12 Brides of Christmas and Westward Christmas Brides collections. A history major, she’s always interested in the unusual happenings of the past. She’s a two-time winner of the Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award, and also a winner of the Carol Award and the Will Rogers Medallion, and a finalist in the WILLA Awards and the More Than Magic Contest. Visit her website at: www.susanpagedavis.com .