Flag Day Monument

Video from the July 8th Declaration of Independence reading at the Monument. Video credit Mike Pio

New video · Wednesday, Jul 8 🎬 Tap to view!

On this day, July 8, 1776, the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Join us at the Flag Day Monument today at 5:00pm for the 250th commemoration of the first reading. 🇺🇸

Happy Flag Day!!! 🇺🇸 Working as a grade school teacher in Waubeka, Wisconsin, in 1885, Bernard J. Cigrand held the first recognized formal observance of Flag Day at the Stony Hill School. The school has been restored, and a bust of Cigrand also honors him at the National Flag Day Americanism Center in Waubeka.

Cigrand became president of the American Flag Day Association and later of the National Flag Day Society, which allowed him to promote his cause with organizational backing. Cigrand once noted he had given 2,188 speeches on patriotism and the flag.

After 30 years of advocacy, in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson declared June 14 Flag Day. Cigrand generally is credited with being the “Father of Flag Day,” with the Chicago Tribune noting that he “almost singlehandedly” established the holiday.

In October of 2023, the Flag Day Monument was constructed and dedicated in Downtown Batavia near the Riverwalk. Dr. Cigrand was a resident of Batavia when President Wilson issued his Flag Day Proclamation.