What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 10am - 1pm Thursday 10am - 1pm Saturday 10am - 4pm

House of Flags Museum, Inc., 33 Gibson Street, Columbus, NC (2026)

09/02/2026

WHY WEDNESDAY 🇺🇸 | WE ARE THE STORY KEEPERS
There’s something you may not see when you walk through the doors of the House of Flags Museum.
You see the flags, a lot of flags!
You see the artifacts.
You see pieces of America's past hanging on the walls.
But behind every flag is a story. A important story
And behind those stories are people who have made a decision:
WE WILL NOT LET THEM BE FORGOTTEN.
We call them Story Keepers.
Our volunteers.�Our curator�Our board members.�Our donors.�Our supporters.�Our families.�Our community.
The people who give their time, their talents, their resources, and their hearts to make sure the stories behind these flags continue to be told.
Because history doesn't preserve itself. Someone has to research it.
Someone has to protect it.
Someone has to teach it.
Someone has to tell it.
And someone has to make sure the next generation knows why it matters, this is of the utmost importance!
That is what a Story Keeper does.
But here's the most important part…
YOU can be a Story Keeper, too. 🇺🇸
You don't have to work at the museum.
You can become a Story Keeper by walking through our doors and learning.
Bring your children.
Bring your grandchildren.
Bring your parents.
Bring your friends.
Bring the person who thinks history is boring and let us change their mind.
Come stand in front of a flag and ask:
“What story does this flag hold?”
Because when you visit, you're not just looking at history.
You're helping keep it alive.
You can be a Story Keeper by supporting the museum.
Every donation—large or small—helps us preserve these flags, create programs, care for this collection, and continue telling the stories for generations who haven't even been born yet.
You can be a Story Keeper by sharing this post.
Maybe the person who sees it today has never heard of the House of Flags.
Maybe they've lived right here and never walked through our doors. Come see for yourself!
Maybe they have a family member who served.
Maybe they're searching for something meaningful to do with their children. Maybe you homeschool and need help teaching history!
You could be the reason they discover us.
And you can be a Story Keeper by simply saying:
“This history matters.”
Then helping someone else understand why.
🇺🇸 So here's our challenge for you this week:
➡️ VISIT. Bring someone with you.
➡️ SHARE. Help someone else find us.
➡️ SUPPORT. Donate if you're able.
➡️ TELL. Share the stories you've learned.
➡️ BRING THE NEXT GENERATION. Let them see, hear, and experience the history that shaped the country they inherited.
Because this museum doesn't belong to just the people who work here.
It belongs to everyone who believes these stories are worth saving.
And the more Story Keepers we have, the farther those stories can travel.
Flags can hang on walls…�but it takes people to give them a voice.
🇺🇸 BE A STORY KEEPER.
Come see us.�Bring your family.�Bring your friends.�Support the museum.�Share our stories.�Help us preserve the past for the people who will come after us.
The story doesn't end with us.
It is our job to make sure it continues.

HOUSE OF FLAGS MUSEUM�Where history has a voice.
Tuesday/Thursday 10A-1P
Saturday 10a-4p

👇 TAG someone you want to bring to the museum!
And if you've visited us before, SHARE this post and tell us what flag, story, or moment you remember most.
Let's build a nation of Story Keepers—one story at a time.

08/31/2026

WOULD YOU SURVIVE IT MONDAY?!
CHAPTER 2: THE WAR OF 1812
Last Monday, you woke up living through the Revolutionary War.
This week, history has moved forward some.
The colonies are all gone.�The United States is a very young nation.�And now America is at war with Great Britain again.
But this time, you aren't watching history from a textbook.
You're living it.
Picture it- August 1814
You live in the Washington, D.C. area.
Life is already difficult. You depend on what you can grow, make, trade, or buy. News travels slowly, and rumors often arrive before facts.
Then word spreads:
British troops are advancing toward Washington.
You don't have a television to confirm it.
You don't have a phone to call someone miles away.
You don't have the internet to find out where the army is.
You have rumors, frightened neighbors, and whatever information makes its way to you.
And then...
Washington falls.
British forces burn the Capitol, the President's House, and other buildings.
Now the question becomes very real very fast:
WHAT DO YOU DO?
You have your family with you, but you can't take everything.
You have food stored away it’s all you have �You have valuable things that’s important , heirlooms .�You have livestock.�You have a home you've worked hard to build.
But an advancing army is coming.
A️⃣ RUN.
Take your family and whatever you can carry and get as far away as possible.
B️⃣ STAY.
Your home and livelihood are everything you have. You decide to remain and hope the danger passes.
C️⃣ HIDE WHAT YOU CAN.
Bury or conceal food, valuables, and supplies before leaving temporarily, hoping they'll still be there when you return.
D️⃣ YOUR OWN PLAN.
Maybe you have a completely different strategy. Tell us what you'd do.
But here's what makes this difficult...
You don't know how long you'll be gone.
You don't know where the British will go next.
You don't know whether your home will still be standing when you return.
And if someone you love is serving in the American military...
you don't know when—or if—they'll come home.

THE REALITY OF 1814
The War of 1812 wasn't just fought by famous generals and soldiers as in the textbooks and if you look up information.
It disrupted the lives of ordinary Americans just trying to survive and care for their families.
Families faced shortages, uncertainty, economic hardship, displacement, and the constant possibility that war could reach their communities.
And America was still very young.
The country had only been independent for a little more than 30 years.
The military was struggling. The war was deeply controversial at home. Indigenous nations were fighting for their own interests and survival. And Britain's forces were a formidable opponent.
Then came one of the most shocking moments of the war:
The capital of the United States was attacked and burned.
Imagine hearing that news in 1814.
No 24-hour news cycle.
No social media.
No emergency alerts.
Just a messenger, a newspaper, a neighbor...
and your own eyes.
NOW IT'S YOUR TURN.
You're standing in 1814.
The British are advancing.
You have your family, your home, and only a short time to make your decision.
A, B, C, or D?
What would YOU do—and why?
Tag the person you think you'd want beside you when history suddenly became real.
And SHARE this post to challenge your friends and family!
Because history isn't just about battles and dates.
It's about real people making real decisions when they had no idea what would happen next, but had to have faith and determination to move.
So...
🇺🇸 WOULD YOU SURVIVE IT?

08/30/2026

🇺🇸 SUNDAY REFLECTIONS AT THE HOUSE OF FLAGS 🇺🇸
What would your flag say about YOU?
We spend a lot of time talking about what flags have seen.
Wars.
Victories.
Losses.
Families.
Sacrifice.
Change.
And that’s important as we must remember the stories to pass them on and keep them alive for years to come !
But today, let's turn the question around.
If your life had a flag… what would be on it? 🇺🇸
Would it have a Family Bible and Scripture?
Would there be a family symbol right in the middle?
Maybe a paw print for the four-legged family member who runs the house. 🐾
A book?
A cross?
A musical note?
A favorite hobby?
A place that feels like home?
Or maybe your flag would carry something much deeper…
A scar from something you've survived.
A person you've lost.
A lesson you learned the hard way.
A dream you're still chasing.
A reminder of where you've come from—and where you're going.
🇺🇸 That's the fascinating thing about flags.
They're more than colors and symbols.
They tell stories.
And just like every flag in our museum has a story behind it, with real people , every person walking through our doors has one too.

So here's your Sunday question:
👇 If you could design a flag that represented YOUR life, what 3 things would you put on it?
And here's the fun part…
You can't use your name!
Let your symbols tell your story and see if your family and friends can guess whose flag it is!
Maybe we'll discover some pretty interesting flags in the comments. 👀
Take a moment today to think about your story.
What would you want future generations to remember about you?
Because one day, you will become part of someone else's history.
Make it a story worth telling. ❤️
🇺🇸 House of Flags Museum�Because history isn't just about the past. It's about the stories we carry forward.

08/29/2026

🇺🇸 IF THIS FLAG COULD TALK SATURDAY… 🇺🇸
The Star-Spangled Banner
If I could talk, I would tell you that I was there.
I was there in 1814, when America was still a young nation—and the War of 1812 was raging.
Families were living with uncertainty.
Fathers, sons, brothers and husbands had gone off to fight. Food and supplies could be difficult to obtain. Money was tight. And no family could be certain what tomorrow would bring.
Then came Baltimore.
And with it, a night that would become part of America's story forever.
⚓ But why was Francis Scott Key there?
Key wasn't a soldier standing inside Fort McHenry.
He was a lawyer and poet who had gone aboard a British ship to negotiate the release of an American prisoner.
He successfully helped secure the prisoner's release—but there was a problem.
While aboard the British ship, Key and the other Americans learned that the British planned to attack Fort McHenry.
Because they now knew about the planned attack, they weren't allowed to leave until the British fleet had finished its operation.
So Key remained aboard a ship in the harbor…
watching.
And then the bombardment began.
For hours, British ships fired upon Fort McHenry.
Imagine being there.
The darkness broken by explosions.
The sound of cannon fire rolling across the water.
Smoke hanging in the air.
Soldiers inside the fort fighting to hold their position.
And families nearby wondering what the morning would bring.
Key couldn't know whether the fort would survive.
He couldn't know whether the American flag would still be there when daylight came.
Then…
Dawn.
Through the smoke and darkness, Key saw something that told him the fort had held.
🇺🇸 The American flag was still flying.
And in that moment, he began writing words inspired by what he had witnessed.
Words that would eventually become “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
But if I could talk, I would tell you something else.
Don't just remember the song.
Remember the people behind it.
Remember the families waiting at home.
Remember the soldiers defending the fort.
Remember the young nation fighting through another uncertain chapter.
Remember Francis Scott Key, watching through the night, not knowing what he would see when the sun came up.
And remember the flag itself—
still flying.
🇺🇸 Today, we often see the Stars and Stripes and think of ceremonies, ballgames, parades and national celebrations.
But imagine seeing that flag after a night like that.
Imagine what it meant in that moment.
It wasn't just fabric.
It was a message:
We are still here.
❤️ If this flag could talk today, what do you think it would say to us?
👇 Tell us in the comments.
And SHARE this with someone who needs the reminder:
History isn't just dates and battles.
History was someone's life.�Someone's family.�Someone's fear.�Someone's courage.�Someone's hope.
🇺🇸 Every flag has a story.�And every story has people behind it.
Come see the stories for yourself at the House of Flags Museum.

08/28/2026

🇺🇸FAMILY TIME TRAVEL FRIDAY: YOU’RE IN 1812

Close your eyes.

When you open them, it’s no longer 2026.

It’s 1812.

You hear one word:

WAR.

The United States has declared war against Great Britain.

And suddenly, history isn't something you read about in a book.

It’s happening to YOU.

You’re standing in your home.

Your family gathers around the table.

There’s no television.
No internet.
No cell phone to call your loved one.

And there’s no guarantee the person who just walked out your door will ever walk back through it.

Your husband, father, brother, son—or perhaps YOU—could be called to fight.

Money is tight.

There is no modern banking system like we know today. Coins, local bank notes and credit are part of everyday life. War disrupts trade, supplies become harder to move, and prices can rise.

And what's for dinner?

You can't run to the grocery store.

Your family depends on what you can grow, hunt, preserve, trade or afford.

Cornmeal.
Beans.
Bread.
Salted meat.
Preserved foods.

And you wonder…

Will there be enough next week?

🇺🇸 And what does your country think?

Not everyone agrees.

Some Americans believe Britain has pushed the young nation too far and that America must defend its rights.

Others fear what war will cost their families and communities.

The country is divided.

The future is uncertain.

And then comes the possibility that terrifies you most…

🔥 The war could come to YOUR doorstep.

Imagine seeing smoke rising in the distance.

Hearing cannon fire.

Wondering whether your town—or your home—will be next.

Now your family has a decision to make.

🚨 YOUR 1812 TIME-TRAVEL CHALLENGE 🚨

You have limited food.

Money is scarce.

Someone you love may be called away.

You don't know how long the war will last.

And you have one job:

KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE.

What do you do?

Do you stay?

Do you leave?

Do you hide your valuables?

Do you preserve every bit of food you can?

Do you send someone away from the danger?

👇 WHAT WOULD YOUR FAMILY DO?

And here's something else to think about…

🇺🇸 The War of 1812 would give us one of the most beloved symbols and words in American history.

The events of this war would inspire the words to “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

But that's a story for another time… 👀🇺🇸

Because when you look at history, don't just see dates and battles.

See the families.
See the sacrifices.
See the uncertainty.
See the courage.
See the hope.

History wasn't just something that happened a long time ago.

History was someone's TODAY.

⏳ Welcome to Family Time Travel Friday.

Where we don't just learn history…

WE LIVE IT.

08/27/2026

Throwback Thursday: World War I 🇺🇸

When we look back at World War I, it is easy to focus on the battles, the uniforms, and the dates in a history book. But what was life really like for the people living through it?

Families worried as sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers went off to war. Food became something to conserve, and Americans were encouraged to change the way they ate to help support the troops and America's allies. People planted gardens, saved what they could, and learned that even small sacrifices at home could matter.

Money was tight for many families, yet Americans were asked to give even more. Families purchased Liberty Bonds, communities held drives, and people found ways to support the war effort with whatever they had.

And through it all...there was spirit

A spirit of sacrifice. A spirit of unity. A spirit that reminded people they were part of something bigger than themselves.

And what about the flags of the time?🇺🇸

During World War I, the American flag itself reflected a changing nation. When the United States entered the war in 1917, the flag carried 48 stars one for each state in the Union. It had become a powerful symbol of a nation coming together during a time of uncertainty and sacrifice.

But the Stars and Stripes were not the only flags carrying stories. Military branch flags, service flags displayed in windows, Allied flags, and the flags carried by troops all represented people, places, sacrifice, and hope. A Blue Star Service Flag hanging in a family's window told neighbors that someone from that home was serving.

Blue Star: Represents a living family member on active duty in the Armed Forces.

Gold Star: Replaces a blue star to show that a service member died during the war. This tradition started in 1918 after President Woodrow Wilson approved suggestions from the Women’s Committee of the Council of National Defense.

Silver Star: Used to represent a service member who was wounded or gravely ill in a combat zone As the war continued, flags became symbols of pride, support, remembrance, and sometimes heartbreaking loss.

World War I did not just happen in trenches across the ocean. It was felt in kitchens, factories, schools, churches, businesses, and homes across America. And flags waved over it all—reminding people of what they were fighting for and who they were waiting to come home.

Imagine being there. What would have been hardest for your family—the worry, the sacrifices with food and money, or waiting and not knowing what tomorrow would bring? And which flag from that era would you want to know the story behind?

Because history isn't just about what happened. It's about the people who lived it—and the flags that still carry their stories.🇺🇸

08/26/2026

WHY Wednesday
Why do we work so hard to educate younger generations?
Why do we continue developing new programs, new events, new activities, and new ways to bring history to life?
Because history only stays alive when someone chooses to pass it on. We want to ensure it’s passed on forever !
The flags, the documents, the battles, the sacrifices, the victories, and even the difficult moments of our past are more than dates in a textbook. They are stories of real people who lived, struggled, hoped, fought, and dreamed.
If we don't tell those stories to the generations coming behind us, who will?
At the House of Flags Museum, we believe history should be experienced, questioned, discussed, and shared. That is why we are constantly working to create new programming for children, families, students, and our community.
Because one day, we will be the history.
And what we choose to teach, preserve, and pass down today will help determine what generations to come remember tomorrow.
🇺🇸 History matters. Their future deserves to know it.
What is one piece of history you hope the next generation never forgets? Tell us below! 👇

08/24/2026

WOULD YOU SURVIVE IT MONDAY?!
Welcome to a brand-new Monday adventure at the House of Flags Museum!
For the next few weeks, we'll be traveling back through time and putting ourselves in the shoes of the people who lived through some of America's most challenging moments. Each Monday, you'll face a new scenario and have to decide...
What would YOU do? Would YOU survive it?
So be sure to play along each week, tag the people you would want beside you, and share so we can see who else would survive the journey through history! 👇
This week, we're sticking with the Revolutionary War era...
📅 The year is 1780.
The war for independence has been raging for years. Life is uncertain. Food and supplies can be hard to come by. Families are divided by their loyalties, and the fighting isn't always far away.
Then, one morning, word reaches your home:
British troops are moving through the area.
You have very little time to decide what to do.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
A️⃣ Gather your family, take only what you can carry, and flee your home.
B️⃣ Stay and try to protect your home, belongings, and livelihood.
C️⃣ Hide your most valuable supplies and hope your family can make it through whatever comes next.
Or... would you choose something else entirely?
👇 COMMENT WITH A, B, OR C—and tell us WHY!
The truth is, there was no easy answer.
For many families during the Revolutionary War, the war didn't happen somewhere far away on a battlefield. It came to their towns, farms, and doorsteps. Ordinary people had to make impossible decisions without knowing what tomorrow would bring.
Some fled. Some stayed. Some hid food and valuables. Some found themselves caught between opposing armies. Survival meant making choices we can only imagine today.
So... would YOU survive it?
Tag the people you would want with you if you suddenly woke up in 1780, and share this post to challenge them to play along!
Because history isn't just about what happened...
It's about asking yourself: What would I have done?

08/23/2026

🇺🇸 SUNDAY REFLECTIONS 🇺🇸

Before the week begins again, take a moment to reflect...

So often, people see history as just that—the past. Something old. Something distant. Maybe even something boring.

But that is far from the truth.

History was never boring to the people living it.

Every flag in our museum represents more than a moment in time. Behind every battle, every struggle, every victory, and every change were real people.

Someone's son.

Someone's daughter.

A father who left home.

A mother who waited.

A family who wondered if life would ever be the same again.

History can sometimes feel distant when we only see dates in a book. But when you stop and really look at the stories behind those dates, you realize something important:

They were people, just like us.

They had fears. They had hopes. They loved their families. They disagreed. They struggled. They made sacrifices. And they lived through moments they could never have known would one day become history.

There was nothing boring about wondering if your loved one would return home from war.

Nothing boring about fighting for what you believed in.

Nothing boring about leaving everything you knew behind for an uncertain future.

Nothing boring about living through moments that would forever change a family, a community, or an entire nation.

Perhaps history only becomes boring when we forget to tell the human stories behind it.

And perhaps that is why history matters so much.

Because someday, the ordinary moments we are living right now will be part of someone else's history. What stories will we leave behind? What will our children and grandchildren remember? What lessons will they carry forward?

At the House of Flags Museum, we invite you to do more than simply look at flags. Come hear the stories. Ask questions. Have conversations. See history in its full context—the victories, the struggles, and most importantly, the people who lived through it all.

🇺🇸 This week, take time to share a story from your own family. A veteran. A loved one. A sacrifice. A memory you never want forgotten.

What is one story from your family that you hope the next generation will always remember?

Share it in the comments, tag someone who needs to preserve their family's stories, and share this post so together we can help keep history—and the people behind it—alive for generations to come. Who knows maybe your story may end up on our page as a story!

✨ Then come see us. Walk among the flags. Discover the stories. Bring your family, bring your questions, and let history become more than something you read about.

Because history isn't just the past. It is people. It is stories. It is us. And it deserves to be remembered.🇺🇸

08/22/2026

IF THIS FLAG COULD TALK SATURDAY..
"Don’t give up the ship."
If I could talk, I would take you back to a young America still fighting to prove it could survive.
It was 1813. The nation was at war with Great Britain in the War of 1812. Only a few decades had passed since the American Revolution, and the freedom so many had fought for was still far from guaranteed. British forces had already caused fear and destruction along America's coasts and waterways. Families waited anxiously for news. Mothers, wives, fathers, and children had no quick way of knowing whether the person they loved would ever return home.
Then came the words that gave me my voice.
During an earlier naval battle, Captain James Lawrence, who was mortally wounded aboard the USS Chesapeake, gave the command that would echo through history:
“Don’t give up the ship!”
His words became a cry of determination for a nation facing uncertainty—and would go on to become known as the battle cry of the U.S. Navy.
Months later, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry had those words sewn onto me by a group of ladies in Pennsylvania and raised me aboard his flagship, the USS Lawrence, during the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813.
Imagine what those men faced.
The roar of cannons. The splintering of wood. The smoke so thick it could hide the world around you. Young sailors—many very young and very far from home—facing death on the waters while families waited and prayed somewhere far away.
Perry's ship was eventually so badly damaged that he had to leave it behind. Carrying on the fight, he made his way through enemy fire to the USS Niagara.
But they did not give up.
The American fleet won the Battle of Lake Erie.
If I could talk, I wouldn't just tell you about a famous battle or a few brave men. I would tell you about a time when America was still young, uncertain, and fighting to hold onto the independence it had only recently won.
I would remind you that behind every historic moment were real people. People who were afraid. People who missed home. People who loved their families. People who wondered if they would live to see another sunrise.
And I would whisper the words that still speak across more than two centuries:
“Don’t give up the ship.”
But if I could talk, I might also ask you...
What do you refuse to give up on, even when things get hard?
Because sometimes, that is exactly what someone else needs to hear to pick up carry on the fight.
Sometimes history leaves us more than dates. Sometimes it leaves us words to carry into our own battles.
🇺🇸 Come see this flag and all the many others at the House of Flags Museum. Stand before them. Look closely. Ask questions. Learn the stories behind them—because every flag has witnessed a piece of history, and if we listen closely enough... they still have something to say.

Tuesday/Thursday 10a-1p
Saturday 10a-4p
Call to set up group tours

📸: The Naval Academy

House of Flags Museum, Inc.

09/02/2026

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