It’s a beautiful morning — and the forecast is for great weather most of today.
Westport is awash in red, white and blue — in many shapes and forms.
Bob Weingarten hung this replica flag over the barn door of his house:
Look closely. There are 15 stars and 15 stripes — not 13.
This American flag was used from 1795 to 1818. It was created when 2 new states — Kentucky and Vermont — joined the union.
It’s called the “Star Spangled Banner Flag” because — after being raised above Fort McHenry to celebrate a crucial victory over the British during the War of 1812 — Francis Scott Key was inspired to write our national anthem.
When 5 more states were added to the union, they got stars too. But we went back to 13 stripes, for the original colonies. Today of course our flag has 50 stars, and 13 stripes.
Bob flies the flag over his barn doors because it was originally built in 1805 as a “chaise house.” That meant it housed a chaise — an 1800 coach with a driver and seats. Back in the day, that was a luxury item.
Nearly a century later — in 1900 — this home was built on Soundview Drive:
(Photo/Betsy P. Kahn)
It’s one of the last original beach cottages — and is still in the same family.
Decked out in bunting, it looks beautiful and serene. Tonight thousands of folks will stream by, on their way to the fireworks.
It will be a beautiful night, too!
The house on Soundview looks like one I worked on back in the early to mid 1970’s. I was a carpenter’s helper in between school years back then. I remember enjoying the view from the porch. We may have been enclosing in an upstairs porch…..it’s too long ago for me to remember. I was in charge of debris :^)
Those of us who have transplanted to Vermont appreciate our own stripe, as short lived as it may have been.