Members of the Bedford Minutemen march in the Concord Patriots’ Day Parade on April 18, 1994.
The Bedford flag is the oldest existing flag in North America and dates from the early 1700s. The flag was present during the battle at the Old North Bridge in 1775 and a replica is proudly flown at Patriots’ Day parade each year. Other historic flags were also used during the time of the American Revolution and the following years. Included in this photo are the Gadsden flag with the words “Don’t Tread On Me” from 1775 and the Betsy Ross flag from 1792 held by our very own town historian, Sharon McDonald. The Bedford Historical Society offers a variety of Bedford flag merchandise; to purchase, click here.
By Catherine Miller, Bedford Historical Society Spring 2019 archives intern and Simmons University MLIS student.
