KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Steven Downs, a Utah resident, has collected 78 replica colonial flags.
- The flags, displayed in Hyrum’s Elite Hall, span from the 13 colonies to today.
- The exhibit aims to offer visitors a fresh historical perspective, attracting 200 visitors.
HYRUM, Cache County — One Utah man has spent the past 50 years collecting different versions of the American flag, starting with the 13 colonies.
From the oldest known American battle flag to the Grand Union flag George Washington fought under at Valley Forge, Steven Downs has collected replica flags from catalogs since the Bicentennial, 50 years ago.
“It just kind of becomes a part of your life,” Downs said. The 78 different flags fill the Elite Hall in Hyrum, with early colonial militia flags on one side and the different stars and stripes designs on the other.
I’m proud to be an American.
“They were the flag and banner that meant that they were involved in our nation’s liberty,” Downs said.
Downs even found a replica of Utah’s Statehood Flag — a 129-year-old design.
“That was carried by the color guard here in Hyrum,” Downs said.
The Hyrum City Museum Board Members decided to display the flags a few years ago in the historic Elite Hall, built in 1915.
“You just don’t see this, it’s really cool,” said Kim Faulkner, chair of the Hyrum City Museum Board. Over the years, the flags have only been displayed on Independence Day.
For 2025, the board decided to have the flags displayed the day before the Fourth of July through the weekend.
Hyrum City Museum Curator Courtney Cochley said they’ve already seen success, with more than 200 people walking through the display on Thursday.
“We want people to come in and have a new perspective on history,” Cochley said.
For Downs, it’s all about sharing a tradition he loves because of his affection for his country.
“I’m proud to be an American,” said Downs. “I’m proud of our nation.”
Downs added seven new flags to the collection for 2025 and said he’s still looking for more.
The flags will be on display through Sunday.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.