Freedom Flyer – The Interesting History Of One Meaning Behind The Eagle Hung Over The Door On American Homes

Over the Independence Day weekend, I realized a bit little bit of American historical past that I had by no means heard of earlier than. I realized concerning the Freedom Flyer. Have you ever heard of this? That is the title given to the steel eagle decoration that you’ll typically see on American houses hanging both above the entrance door or over the storage door.

These aren’t as widespread as they as soon as have been, however I’ve seen loads of them in my lifetime. Truthfully, I by no means actually gave them a lot thought. I at all times thought it was only a piece of Americana — a patriotic image. In any case, our nationwide hen is the bald eagle.

The bald eagle was adopted on the Nice Seal of the US in 1782, after a number of design makes an attempt starting proper after the Declaration of Independence.

According to the National Archives website, “Only a few hours after the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the primary committee to design a seal for the US was appointed, and its design started. After present process quite a few adjustments, on June 20, 1782, the seal was formally adopted by the Continental Congress.” From there, the eagle grew to become an ordinary American image of independence, energy, nationwide id, and the Republic. Eagles are on all the pieces from the presidential seal, authorities buildings, our cash, and the checklist goes on and on. In early American and Federal-style structure, eagles appeared in pediments, mantels, gates, indicators, furnishings, and over doorways as patriotic decoration.

However over the previous few days, I’ve seen these steel eagle ornaments that hold over the entrance door or storage door on many American houses known as a “freedom flyer”. I had by no means heard this title earlier than, so this was new to me. And I noticed individuals talking of a really particular that means that this decoration had within the 1940’s and 1950’s, so I did a bit digging to seek out extra data.

Because it seems, after World Struggle II, homeownership expanded enormously in America after service members returned from the conflict and took benefit of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (the G.I. Invoice), with over 4 million dwelling loans being granted below this program. About 20% of all new houses constructed after the conflict have been bought by veterans. And as households paid off their mortgages, they might hold an eagle above their door to represent that the house belonged to them and so they have been now not in debt to the financial institution. It was an emblem of being mortgage-free. So in the course of the Nineteen Forties and Nineteen Fifties, the eagle had a twin that means. It was a patriotic image — an emblem of our nation. Nevertheless it was additionally an emblem of private freedom — freedom from debt.

As I used to be studying about this that means, it dawned on me that I’ve one in every of these! A “freedom flyer” hung above my paternal grandparents’ storage doorways. And when my grandmother died and my aunts and uncles have been making an attempt to filter her home, they invited all of us grandchildren over to see if we needed something. By the point I used to be in a position to go over there, all the “great things” had been claimed (which I used to be completely high quality with, to be sincere), however I did need not less than a small factor from their dwelling. And I occurred to see the eagle from their storage nonetheless there. Nobody had claimed it, so I took it dwelling.

I didn’t have any plans for it, and within the intervening years, it has been shuffled from room to room, field to field. I believed I would hold it in a nook of my workshop or one thing like that, however I didn’t actually give it a lot thought past that. It was nothing greater than a little bit of memorabilia from my grandparents’ dwelling that might doubtlessly be packed away in a field for the remainder of my life.

However after studying about this distinctive historical past, and in spite of everything of those years that I’ve held onto this, it made me a bit extra excited to be the proprietor of my grandparents’ “freedom flyer”. So I made a decision to dig it out of storage and mud it off. I didn’t measure it, however I’d guess it’s about 18 inches vast and fabricated from forged iron.

And now I actually need to discover a place for it on the entrance of our home. Sadly, there’s not sufficient house for it above our entrance door for the reason that ceiling of our entrance porch is so low.

So I’m going to must improvise a bit bit and discover one other place to show it. I often don’t like steel decor of any sort on the entrance of a home. Right here in Texas, i.e., The Lone Star State (the place we’re very pleased with our state 😀 ), you’ll see lots of steel Lone Star decor on the entrance of homes. I really like Texas, however I’ve by no means been a fan of the Lone Star decor. That’s simply my private style. And I’ve by no means actually been a fan of any sort of steel ornaments or decor on a home. Once more, it’s only a matter of private style.

However on this case, I’m going to make an exception. I’m actually enthusiastic about discovering the right spot for my “freedom flyer”, and I feel it is sensible on our home. Our home was constructed within the late Nineteen Forties when the “freedom from debt” that means was surging. And as an added bonus, Matt and I don’t have a mortgage. We paid off our home years in the past. Plus, it’s a bit little bit of memorabilia from my grandparents’ dwelling that I can show on our home. I’m so glad I realized the historical past of this “freedom flyer” and that it went from a random steel decoration that might make me assume, “What am I going to do with this? I don’t need to throw it away, however I’ve no place for it,” every time I got here throughout it, to now desirous to show it proudly on the entrance of our home someplace due to its historic that means and nostalgic worth.

Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and enhance the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do the vast majority of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.