Danvers Historical Society Unveils 2026 Colonial New England Flags Ornament

DANVERS, MA — The Danvers Historical Society has released its 2026 ornament, a keepsake tied to early New England flag history.

The ornament theme is "Colonial Flags of New England," highlighting several designs associated with the colonial period and the early years of what is now the United States.

One of the earliest flags associated with the future United States was the "Flag of New England." The society said that flag had a mostly red background with a green tree in one corner.

The earliest version included the Cross of Saint George with the tree, but some colonists objected to the cross because of its religious and political connotations, leading to a version that kept only the pine tree.

During the Siege of Boston, Colonial sailors were ordered by George Washington to raise the flag known as "An Appeal to Heaven." Some accounts describe it as white with a tree in the center and the words "An Appeal to Heaven" stitched above it.

The phrase on that flag, the society said, was originally created by John Locke in 1690. The society said New England colonists took Locke’s phrase to mean that God could help protect them as they fought for their rights.

All ornaments in the series can be viewed online at DanversHistory.org or in its gift shop at the Jeremiah Page House, 11 Page Street in Danvers Square.

The shop is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and on Saturdays in December before Christmas from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.