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Americana Decor and Gifts
Americana decor in bold red, white and blue. Go to:
Americana Interior Design,
American Flag history,
American Flags, Art and Gifts,
Popular American Holidays,
Statue of Liberty
Patriotic decor for every room in your home.
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Waterford American Flag Paperweight |
Official US Presidential Seal Dinner Plate |
| Intricate cuts and solid weight make this Waterford design a
striking addition to your desktop or bookshelf. |
Handcrafted Official US
Presidential Seal Dinner Plate. Rare and Important piece of Americana.
Circa 1970's. From America's finest china maker, Pickard. This official
plate was custom ordered is rare and hard to find on the open market.
Fully hall marked and in very good vintage condition. Made of porcelain
and gold. Approx. 10.75"Dia. Hand wash. Made in the USA. |
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Dale Tiffany Decorative Bald Eagle Art Glass Figurine |
Jay Strongwater Lincoln Eagle Figurine |
| This magnificent Eagle Sculpture is breathtaking addition to your charming
home. The noble Eagle is depicted mid-flight, wings flapping and talons
extended as if closing in on its unsuspecting prey. He is lovingly crafted
in Favrile Art Glass. |
Handcrafted eagle figurine. Beautifully designed for the Highland
collection. Hand-painted enamel and set with Swarovski® crystals. USA |
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Waving American Flag Cuff Links |
Men's Stars-and-Stripes Leather Belt |
Democratic Donkey Cuff Links |
| Cufflinks Inc. American flag cuff
links. Sterling silver with enamel. Logo swivel backs. Approx. 7/8" x
5/8". |
Nokona belt in stars-and-stripes
print. Belt can be personalized with up to 25 characters. Golden buckle.
Adjustable fit. Calf leather. Made in USA. |
Cufflinks Inc. and Ox & Bull
Trading Co. Democratic political cuff links. American-flag patterned
donkey fronts. Stainless steel and anodized aluminum. Round logo swivel
closure. Approx. 3/4" x 5/8". |
The American flag, officially, the Flag of the United
States, has 13 horizontal stripes ( 7 red and 6 white alternating) which represent
the original 13 colonies, and in the upper corner a rectangular field of blue with
50 white stars representing the states of the union. The origin of the design was
a resolution passed by Congress on June 14, 1777. Although Betsy Ross is traditionally
given credit for making the first flag, this has not been proven, nor is anyone
certain when the first American flag was flown. As new states were added to the
Union, they demanded representation. Although it was decided to keep the stripes
at 13, it was decided in 1818 to increase the number of stars to represent the number
of states. By the time of the Civil War in 1861 there were 34. The 50th star was
added in 1960 for Hawaii. By executive order of William Howard Taft in 1912 the
exact dimensions and relative proportions were fixed. In 1942 Congress adopted a
joint resolution for the proper display of the flag.
Holidays are shown with the date celebrated
in the United States. Banks and government offices are closed on all legal holidays
although retail stores and restaurants are normally open with the exception of Thanksgiving,
Christmas and New Year's. If you are planning to travel, be sure to verify dates
and details for your destination.
- New Year's Day (Jaunuary 1): Celebrations
begin with parties on New Year's Eve culminating with the countdown to midnight,
a kiss for your sweetheart and fireworks. New Year's is a time of renewal and
resolutions for the future.
- Marin Luther King's Birthday celebrates the
birth of an important civil rights leader active in the 1960's, receiving the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was assassinated 4/4/68.
- National Freedom Day: signing of the 13th
Amendment (2/1)
- Inauguration Day: Every 4 years the President
of the U.S. who was elected the prior November is sworn into office.
- Groundhog Day (2/2): A tradition brought by
German immigrants farmers which predicts that if the groundhog sees his shadow
on this day, they would return to their dens which indicates another 6 weeks
of winter; if not, spring was coming.
- Valentine's Day (2/14): a tradition that goes
back to the middle ages, this a day for true romantics to send Valentine cards
and romantic gifts.
- President's Day is the combined observance
of Washington's birthday (leader of the Continental Army and first President
of the U.S.) with Abraham Lincoln's birthday (President during the war between
the states and author of the Emancipation Declaration).
- Saint Patrick's Day (3/17): celebrates the
patron saint of the Irish. Notable parades in New York City, New Orleans, Atlanta
and Savannah.
- April Fool's Day 4/1
- Mother's Day: Officially established by congress
in 1914. A time to recognize mothers with cards,
gifts and special
pampering.
- Easter is the Christian holiday commemorating
the resurrection of Christ often with sunrise services. There are additional
traditions which incorporate the festival of spring such as the Easter lily,
Easter egg hunts and the Easter bunny.
- Memorial Day was established after the Civil
War to remember the dead soldiers. It has been expanded to include remembering
all fallen soldiers and family dead. It is observed with parades and flowers
taken to the grave.
- "Juneteenth" is believed to be the oldest
celebration of the end of slavery in the U.S. On 6/19/1865 Union soldiers arrived
in Galveston, TX, announcing that the war had ended and the slaves were now
free. Celebrations began in 1866, and are now centered on racial understanding.
- Father's Day was officially established in
1972 to honor fathers and is usually recognized with cards and
gifts.
- United States of America Independence Day
(July 4) was first observed on 7/4/1777, the first anniversary of the Declaration
of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson, approved by the Continental Congress
and eventually signed by all delegates. It is now celebrated with parades, picnics
and fireworks.
- Croquet: originated in France as paille
maille. James I England brought it from Scotland and set up his wickets
in St. James Park (the street nearby became known as Pall Mall), and by the
19th century it had crossed the Atlantic. By 1862 Newport, Rhode Island, had
published a rule book, and by the 1920's there were croquet tournaments on Long
Island
- Labor Day recognizes the contributions of
American workers. There is no significance to the date which was selected to
provide a break between 7/4 and Thanksgiving. It signals the end of summer,
vacations and the beginning of fall and the new school year.
- Columbus Day commemorates the arrival of Christopher
Columbus in the New World in 1492. First celebrated in 1792 in NYC, it was declared
a national holiday in 1937.
- Halloween (10/31) is a time for costumes and
"trick or treat" with children going from door to door for candy.
- Veterans' Day (11/11)
- Thanksgiving was first celebrated in 1621
in Massachusetts by the settlers from the Mayflower and the native American
Indians who shared their knowledge of agriculture, hunting and building. It
became a national holiday in 1863.
- Christmas (12/25) is celebrated with traditions
brought from many parts of the world including carols,
gifts, Santa Claus, and
decorations
including wreathes and Christmas trees with ornaments and lights. In most cities
the season begins with the lighting of the tree on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
- Holiday show at Radio City Music Hall in NYC
was created by Russell Market after seeing the Ziegfeld Follies. They debuted
in 1925 in St. Louis as the "Missouri Rockets" and moved to Radio City for its
grand opening on 12/27/1932. They now perform all year. The numbers: 72 legs,
as many as 80 pairs of tights for each dancer for just 1 number, over 2 million
watch the Christmas Spectacular each year.
- Kwanzaa which comes from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza"
which means "first fruits" is celebrated from 12/26 to 1/1. Each day focuses
on a different principle: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determiniation),
Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics),
Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), Imani (faith).
- Height: 151'1"
- Ground to torch tip: 350'1"
- 7 rays in crown represent the seas and continents
- Tablet reads "July 4, 1776"
- Total weight: copper, 31 tons; steel, 125
tons; concrete foundation, 27 tons
- Winds of 50 mph cause sway of 3" in statue
and 5" in torch
Statue of Liberty History
- French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi
was commissioned to design the statue to commemorate the centennial of the Declaration
of Independence in 1876
- Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, designer of the
Eiffel Tower, was
called on for engineering help in designing the iron pylon and secondary skeletal
framework for the massive copper statue allowing the copper skin to move independently
but stand upright
- Arrived aboard the steamship Isère in June
of 1885 in 350 individual pieces packed in 214 crates and reassembled in 4 months
- Granite pedestal completed in Aril, 1886,
in the courtyard of the star-shaped walls of Fort Wood (which had been completed
for the War of 1812.)
- Dedicated on October 28, 1886
- Designated a National Monument on October
15, 1924
- September 7, 1937, jurisdiction was enlarged
to encompass all of Bedloe's Island and in 1956, the island's name was changed
to Liberty Island
- May 11, 1965: Ellis Island becomes part of
the Statue of Liberty National Monument
- $87 million restoration completed for her
spectacular centennial on July 4, 1986
- Liberty Island is federal property located
within the State of New York
- World Heritage Site - 1984
- Liberty Island was closed for 100 days following
9/11/2001. Statue reopened 8/3/2004. Visitors have access to pedestal observation
deck, promenade, museum and the area of Fort Wood
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