US Flag on Lexington Green

Two centuries after the events of April 19, 1775, the flag on Lexington Green was dedicated as a monument to be flown in perpetuity in honor of the area’s role in the American Revolution.

The first shots of the war happened in this very spot after a tense stand-off between Captain John Parker’s militia men and British Regulars under the command of Major John Pitcairn.

Captain Parker ordered the Lexington militia men not to fire unless fired upon, but they refused Major Pitcairn’s demands to lay down their arms. The details as to who shot first, how many shots were initially fired, and what prompted the discharge remain unclear, but ultimately British troops unleashed a scattered volley at the colonists. Thus began the Battle of Lexington.

The flag flies day and night as a memorial to this momentous occasion. Its plaque reads:

THIS FLAG POLE
DEDICATED AS THE PERMANENT MEMORIAL
OF THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON
APRIL 19, 1775
FIRST ARMED CONFLICT OF
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
LEXINGTON BICENTENNIAL CORPORATION
1976

An inscription on a nearby stone notes that:

THE FLAG OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
IS FLOWN ON THIS POLE
24 HOURS A DAY
BY ACT OF THE CONGRESS
OF THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
1965

The Congressional act mentioned is Public Law 89-335, which mandates that the flag can never be removed. The law also delineates the lighting conditions required for displaying it at nighttime. This flag is one of only a handful in the country that are formally required to be flown at all hours.