First Flag Flown

The First American Flag flown over CDC Headquarters is all wool and measures 60″ high by 114″ wide.

American Flag - The First American Flag flown over CDC Headquarters at Clifton Road

In 1960, when CDC moved from Peachtree Street to Clifton Road, there was a flagpole in front of Building 1 but no flag – one was on order but hadn’t yet arrived. Mr. Jim Paine, a CDC employee who later worked in MASO, volunteered to lend the agency the flag that draped his father’s casket in 1925. His father had served in the cavalry in WWI. The flag flew over CDC for about 3 weeks, until the new one arrived. In 1995, Mr. Paine presented the flag to the museum. The 48-star, Sterling Bunting flag is all wool and measures 60 high by 114 wide.

Enrichment Modules

Take a closer look:

View CDC’s first flown flag up close.
Take a peek at the old CDC building and a first glance at the “new” location.
Learn more about the star-spangled banner from Smithsonian.

From the source:

Where it all began: take a look at an official government memo informing Congress and the House of Representatives why the proposed CDC building would be essential to national defense.

Then and now:

View a streetscape panel displayed on Roybal campus showing the original and expanded areas of CDC’s campus.

Give it a try:

Check out these Independence Day CDC blog posts.