The American flag was about 70 years old when brothers Benjamin and Edward Annin founded Annin Flagmakers in New York City in 1847. After the Civil War, business boomed as private citizens began, for the first time, to display American flags outside their homes. Annin's business surged again following America's entry into World War I in 1917. All this...
The American flag was about 70 years old when brothers Benjamin and Edward Annin founded Annin Flagmakers in New York City in 1847.
After the Civil War, business boomed as private citizens began, for the first time, to display American flags outside their homes. Annin's business surged again following America's entry into World War I in 1917.
All this business caused the company to outgrow its digs in Manhattan; Annin built a plant on Bloomfield Avenue in Verona in 1919. The facility featured the most modern equipment available at the time, including mechanized die cutters and motorized sewing machines. The Verona plant remained in operation until June 2013.
Over the years, the company had a number of significant commissions, including flags for the opening ceremonies of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883 and the American flags that were first planted at the North Pole (in 1909) and South Pole (in 1930). Though not specifically made for the purpose, Annin even manufactured the flag that was raised atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, captured in the timeless photo by Joe Rosenthal on Feb. 23, 1945.
And, on July 20, 1969, Annin was able to make a claim that was literally out of this world; the company supplied a flag for NASA's Apollo 11 moon landing mission. So, one of its flags was the first to "fly" on the surface of the moon.
The effect of the flag stretched in a breeze was achieved, incidentally, by way of a metal rod that extended the top of the flag away from its support pole. There are no breezes on the moon.
In addition to its corporate headquarters in Roseland, Annin has manufacturing facilities in South Boston and Cobbs Creek, Va., and Coshocton, Ohio. The company produces more than 3 million full-sized American flags every year, while also making millions of smaller versions of Old Glory.
Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.