Old Glory
Retire Your worn or faded "Old Glory"
The "Retire Old Glory" bin is located in the Municipal Center next to the Township Office entrance, beneath the Veteran's Display Case. For more information, visit their website, www.retireyouroldglory.com
Cranberry Township was the first municipality to welcome the new project. The bin was placed by the Board of Supervisors in April 2011, in the Municipal Center, where it is readily available to residents. All American flags, respectfully known as Old Glory, should be retired in a dignified and respectful manner when they are no longer a fitting emblem for display and replaced with a new flag, as outlined in the United States Code Title 4 Chapter 1-The Flag.
Individuals, companies, or municipalities interested in participating in the project, may contact Old Glory organizers, e-mail
More About the Project
 Cranberry resident Denise Etter coordinates the program. She said, "The idea for the bin came from recognizing the need for a local & convenient location to retire old flags. My husband is a proud veteran, and we follow the American flag code at our home. On occasion, we've visited local businesses and neighbors to tell them it was time to retire their old flag and replace it with a new one. In doing so it became apparent to us that individuals did not know how or where to properly dispose of their old flag.
As we collected the flags at home we thought that there should be a convenient place locally where residents in Cranberry Township could retire their old flags. So the bin was designed to be placed in high traffic areas for individuals to Retire Unserviceable “Old Glory”.
Ms. Etter plans to expand the project to include other communities/muncipalities, businesses and special events.
To move the project forward, sponsors are needed to purchase the bins and the patriotic graphics for the bins. Collection bins will then be readied for placement in prime locations where individuals can deposit their old flags.
Pictured in the Municipal Center, Denise Etter, Old Glory project creator, and John Skorupan, Board of Supervisors
Why is the flag called "Old Glory"?
 The name "Old Glory" was first applied to the U.S. flag by a young sea captain who lived in Salem, Mass. On his 21st birthday, March 17, 1824, Capt. William Driver was presented a beautiful flag by his mother and a group of Salem girls. Driver was delighted with the gift and named the flag "Old Glory." Old Glory accompanied the captain on his many sea voyages. In 1837 he quit sailing and settled in Nashville. On patriotic days he displayed Old Glory proudly from a rope extending from his house to a tree across the street.
After Tennessee seceded from the Union in 1861, Captain Driver hid Old Glory, sewing it inside a comforter. When the Union soldiers entered Nashville on February 25, 1862, Driver removed Old Glory from its hiding place. He carried the flag to the capitol building and raised it above the state capitol. Shortly before his death, the old sea captain placed a small bundle into the arms of his daughter. He said to her: "Mary Jane, this is my ship's flag, Old Glory. It has been my constant companion. I love it as a mother loves her child. Cherish it as I have cherished it."
The flag remained as a precious heirloom in the Driver family until 1922. It was then sent to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., where it is carefully preserved under glass. Source: Veterans of Foreign Wars
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 Flag Etiquette
The federal flag code says the universal custom is to display the U.S. flag from sunrise to sunset on buildings and stationary flagstaffs in the open, but when a patriotic effect is desired the flag may be displayed 24-hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness. Also, the U.S. flag should not be displayed when the weather is inclement, except when an all-weather flag is displayed. On Memorial Day, the flag is flown at half-staff until noon and then raised.
- Do not let the flag touch the ground.
- Over a Street Union (stars) face north or east depending on the direction of the street.
- Do not fly flag upside down unless there is an emergency.
- Do not carry the flag flat, or carry things in it.
- Do not use the flag as clothing.
- Do not store the flag where it can get dirty.
- Do not use it as a cover.
- Do not fasten it or tie it back. Always allow it to fall free.
- Do not draw on, or otherwise mark the flag.
Source: Veterans of Foreign Wars
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