OriginalGadsden flag

As for the underlying slogan, “Don’t Tread On Me,” this passage utilized by Gadsden reflects the rattlesnake’s general demeanor; a fairly docile animal until threatened or provoked; a behavior that easily mimics those of liberty-minded Americans of the day. As the rattler on Gadsden’s flag appears bearing fangs, coiled, and ready to strike, for an enemy to disrespect these obvious warnings and subsequently step (or “tread”) upon it would be a dangerous decision to say the least.

In the Museum’s Armory, see excellent examples of historic weaponry, dating from 1750 to the twentieth century, with uses that ranged from military to more personal applications such as hunting and dueling.

Gadsden flagmeaning

So-called for its designer, Charleston’s own Christopher Gadsden (1724-1805), presented this pattern in 1775 first to Commodore Esek Hopkins, commander of the brand new United States Navy established by General George Washington. Later, Gadsden presented a second flag of the same design to South Carolina’s state Congress upon their February 1776 convening in Charleston.

In the Loeblein Gallery of Charleston Silver discover the impressive work of the South’s finest craftsmen and women, from the colonial era through the Victorian Age.

Gadsden Flagfor sale

Image

The so-called “Alamo Flag” or “1824 flag” was created by replacing the Eagle in the center of the Mexican tricolor with the year “1824,” referencing the 1824 Constitution of Mexico, in support of which Texas was fighting. … It has often been said that the 1824 flag was flown by Texan forces at the Battle of the Alamo.

In The Charleston Museum: The Early Days gallery, see exotic collections from around the world, representative of the Museum’s nineteenth century cosmopolitan collecting focus.

Gadsden flagorigin

The first variation of the flag of South Carolina, an indigo-blue field (indigo being a major cash crop in the state’s infancy) decorated with a solemn and crescent “moon,” appears initially around 1775. This pattern, created by General William Moultrie in response to a request by the Revolutionary Council of Safety, however, differs greatly from the flag presently used. Decades later in 1861 that the singular Palmetto tree was added to the flag’s center, an homage to Moultrie’s remarkable victory at Fort Sullivan on June 28, 1776, where from an unfinished fortification built from Palmetto logs and packed sand, Charleston patriots fought off nine heavily armed British warships, damaging four and killing more than 100 redcoats.

Image

my neighbor has a don't tread on meflag

Although there is debate as to whether the depicted rattlesnake is that of an Eastern Diamondback or Canebrake, the image was first used satirically by Benjamin Franklin in the 1750s, but over the next several decades came into its own as an American icon similar to the Bald Eagle. Like the burgeoning nation itself, Franklin wrote, the rattler “never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore and emblem of magnanimity and true courage.”

Interestingly, the crescent “moon” in the top corner of the state flag is still cause for debate. While some believe it is indeed a moon hovering shining its light down over the palmetto, many others are convinced it depicts a French-styled gorget, a uniform adornment commonly worn among Patriot officers as a symbol of rank.

Gadsden flaghistory

In the Historic Textiles Gallery, the Museum features regularly rotating exhibits from its rich historic textiles and clothing collection, one of the finest in the southeastern United States.

In the Lowcountry History Hall, see materials relating to the Native Americans who first inhabited the Lowcountry and the African American and European settlers who transformed the region into an agricultural empire.

The Charleston Museum is pleased to present Kidstory, a fun and exciting, hands-on exhibit for children, where the fascinating history of Charleston and the Lowcountry comes alive.

A spinoff of the state flag of South Carolina, why Guardsmen replaced the traditional crescent shape with a lone star remains unclear. Obviously, they did not wish to replicate entirely South Carolina’s already established state flag, choosing instead an equally traditional five-pointed star. This change could possibly be a tribute to the 1861 Bonnie Blue flag, an unofficial banner of the Confederate States, which bears a single white star on a large blue field.

The 506th Coast Artillery Flag: A branch of the U.S. Army during World War II, the Coast Artillery Corps (a.k.a. the Coastal Artillery) organized and maintained defensive batteries along the U.S. shoreline for the first half of the 20th century. A red field (a traditional color for artillery regiments) bears a Bald Eagle at the center similar to that of the Great Seal of the United States – except for one major difference: This flag shows the eagle with 13 arrows (weapons of war representing the original 13 colonies) held in the eagle’s right talon while a green olive branch, the ancient symbol for peace, is held in its left. The wartime use of the flag is one possibility for this reversal.

In the Natural History gallery you will see an extraordinary array of birds, reptiles and mammals that have called the South Carolina Lowcountry home since prehistory, including contributions from noted naturalists.

The so-called "Alamo Flag" or "1824 flag" was created by replacing the Eagle in the center of the Mexican tricolor with the year "1824," referencing the 1824 Constitution of Mexico, in support of which Texas was fighting. ... It has often been said that the 1824 flag was flown by Texan forces at the Battle of the Alamo.  History of the Alamo 1824 flag