VAM galleries including this work:
The Kentucky Derby Museum | Do You See a Pattern? | What’s the Point? || VAM Home

The Twin Spires Flag was recovered in the North Spire of Louisville’s Churchill Downs racetrack during a renovation project in the summer of 2002. This American flag was created sometime between 1905 and 1914 and is believed to have once flown from the top of the Downs’ famous spires. In the summer of 2003, the Kentucky Derby Museum sent the flag to Textile Preservation Associates in Maryland for conservation treatment. It was stretched and cleaned and then placed in a specially made frame to allow support and protection for the flag while on exhibition.

The Kentucky Derby Museum would like to extend thanks to the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, who funded the conservation of the flag.

Classroom Ideas

Discussion: What is the function of a flag? A symbol is something that stands for or suggests something else; for example, the lion is a symbol of courage. How is the American flag a symbol? How does a flag represent a country? Why do you think the Kentucky Derby Museum thought it was important to restore the Twin Spires Flag?

Activities: Find out more about the American flag. What do the colors and design signify? How did this design emerge over time? What is the proper way to display the flag? What happens when a flag becomes old and tattered?

Lots of time and research are involved in restoration projects. Find out the difference between restoration and conservation. What formal training is required to become a restorer or conservator?

Explore how works of art are dated and authenticated. In the case of the Twin Spires Flag, an expert dated the textile to between 1890 and World War I. The expert used clues and known facts about the site where the flag was found, information from the old newspaper in which the flag was found wrapped, the stitching technique used, which stars were visible, and photographic evidence of flags flown from the Twin Spires around 1906.

Links

Visit the official Kentucky Derby web site for more information about the Derby and Churchill Downs.
[www.kentuckyderby.com]

View a picture of the twin spires and read about Churchill Downs in ESPN’s article about the Triple Crown tracks.
[espn.go.com/horse/triplecrown04/s/tracks.html]

Here are several good lesson plans built around the American flag:

• Stars and Stripes Forever: Flag Facts for Flag Day (K-2)
  [edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=338]
  
  
• The American Flag (K-5)
  [www.pbs.org/americaresponds/theamericanflag.html]
  
  
• Oh, Say, Can You See What the Star-Spangled Banner Means? (3-5)
  [edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=298]