The Betsy Ross Flag Over the Custom House is Wrong for Newburyport

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Perched at the edge of Market Square, the Custom House Maritime Museum is one of Newburyport’s most recognizable landmarks. Its elegant cupola and high flagpole crown the city’s skyline, visible from downtown and the waterfront alike. As such, the flag that flies above it carries symbolic weight — it speaks not only for the museum but, in many ways, for Newburyport itself.

At present, the Custom House is flying the 13-star “Betsy Ross” flag — the colonial version of the United States flag — alone, and at the highest point of the building. While the gesture may have been intended as a nod to history, it is in fact misguided, inappropriate, and contrary to federal and state flag protocol.

A Violation of Flag Code

Federal law, under Title 4 of the United States Code, makes clear that only the current 50-star flag represents the United States of America. Earlier designs, such as the Betsy Ross flag, are recognized solely as historical flags and cannot replace the official one on public buildings.

Because the Custom House is, as I understand it, owned by the City of Newburyport and leased to a private nonprofit, it remains city property — and thus subject to these standards. The law requires that the current U.S. flag be displayed when an American flag is flown from a public building. Substituting a colonial version at the top of a city-owned structure is not only inaccurate; it’s technically illegal.

A Confusing and Problematic Symbol

Beyond legality, there’s symbolism. The 13-star flag represents a time when the American experiment was in its infancy — and when vast portions of the population were excluded from its promises of liberty and equality.

In recent years, the Betsy Ross flag has also been appropriated by extremist and exclusionary movements, stripping it of the simple historical innocence it once conveyed. Flying it as the only flag over a civic landmark blurs the line between commemoration and endorsement. Whether intentional or not, it sends the wrong message.

A Matter of Institutional Integrity

The Custom House Maritime Museum has an admirable mission: to preserve and interpret the region’s rich maritime history. But historical interpretation must be contextual, not performative. Displaying a colonial flag as the primary national symbol confuses visitors, misrepresents the present, and diminishes the museum’s credibility as an educational institution.

If the museum wishes to honor early American maritime heritage, the Betsy Ross flag can and should be displayed — inside the exhibits, on a lower pole, or alongside interpretive signage. The flag atop the building, however, should reflect the nation as it exists today: unified, inclusive, and forward-looking.

A Call to Restore the Standard

This is not about politics or perfectionism; it’s about accuracy, respect, and civic pride. The Custom House is city property. The city’s own buildings should comply with the same federal and state standards required of schools, courthouses, and public offices.

Flying the current 50-star American flag at the top of the Custom House is not an act of erasure — it is an act of respect: for law, for truth, and for the diverse citizens who call Newburyport home.

Let the 13-star flag fly proudly where it belongs — as a symbol of our history, not as a substitute for our present.

Jordan Hale
Newburyport resident

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