James K. Polk House features 100 flags of History

There are many things to see and do here in Columbia, Tennessee. One house in particular was the home to our 11th President, James K. Polk. The James K. Polk house is featuring 100 flags of history from today until October 31st, 2010!
 

Copied from an article in the Tennesean: (dated July 6, 2010)
(Click HERE to read the full article.)

"Polk was elected in 1844 and served one term in the White House. Some of the flags at the Columbia museum date to his time in office. Others were stitched in different eras, but they share a common story, said John Holtzapple, director of the Polk House.

"The flags are a reflection of our changing country," Holtzapple said.

Polk was a big part of that, he said. Known as an expansionist president, Polk ran the country during a time when 800,000 square miles and three states were added to America.

Some flags reflect the addition of new states. Others came from battlefields; the collection includes a Spanish flag captured during the Spanish/American War, a Japanese flag from World War II and a flag flown by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.

All of the more than 100 flags in the collection belong to John Olson, a local doctor and collector of American flags and other historical items. Some of his pieces include:

• A Confederate battle flag that flew over the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863

• A World War II-era Naval flag that belonged to Adm. Chester Nimitz

• A 1912 flag that unofficially commemorates the addition of New Mexico as a state

New Mexico and Arizona, the 47th and 48th states, were granted statehood about a month apart in the winter of that year."

James K. Polk and his wife

James K. Polk accomplished much during his four-year term as America's eleventh president. He acquired more than a million square miles of land for the United States. He lowered the tariff on goods that were imported into the U.S. He oversaw the process under which the first U.S. postage stamp was issued. The U.S. government formed a naval academy. I bet you didn't know that!!!
Click HERE for more information about the James K. Polk house.

The house is located at:
303 West 7th Street
Columbia, TN 38401
(931) 388-2354

To go to the main website for the more James K. Polk house and to read about his wife, Sarah Polk, click HERE.