Centennial Happenings: Woman’s Club Donated First Flag of the City of White Plains
By Colleen Fay – Sixty-eight years ago, on March 23, 1949, the Woman’s Club of White Plains donated to the city of White Plains its first official flag as well as a new American flag. Mrs. Ethel Kent, president of the Woman’s Club, and Mrs. Ella Sikes, chairwoman of the Civic Committee, presented the flags to Silas S. Clark, mayor of White Plains.
When White Plains officially became a city in 1916, an official city seal had been adopted but an official city flag had not. During a meeting for the planning of the Independence Day celebration in 1942, the need for a flag became apparent but further work on it was suspended due to World War II. In 1948, at the suggestion of the Woman’s Club, the quest for a new flag was renewed. The mayor appointed a commission to trace the background of the City Seal and to make recommendations for a City Flag. Representatives from the Common Council, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the White Plains Public Library and the Woman’s Club were selected for the task.
The official seal of the city of White Plains incorporated the colors of blue and buff representative of the colors used by the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War as well as the flag carried during the Battle of White Plains. This flag consisted of a crossed sword and staff, surmounted by a liberty cap. The motto of patriot Patrick Henry “liberty or death” is above the design. The seal also contains the words “Semper Fidelis,” Always Faithful, and the years 1683, 1776 and 1915. The dates correspond to the deeding of White Plains by the Indians, the Battle of White Plains and the 1915 act incorporating White Plains as a city.
After much research and inspection of old town flags, the committee submitted a sketch of its recommendation for the flag to the Common Council. On February 7, 1949, at the Common Council meeting, this flag was adopted as the official flag of the city of White Plains. During the meeting, the Woman’s Club asked for the privilege of purchasing and presenting this first flag to the city. Its offer was enthusiastically accepted.
Generous contributions from all sections and membership categories of the Club made it possible to purchase not only the new city flag but also a new American flag to replace the badly worn one which had been hanging in City Hall. Plaques were also made identifying the flags as gifts of the Woman’s Club of White Plains. The flags were presented at a grand ceremony, complete with a color guard from the city Police and Fire Departments.
During the presentation ceremony, Mrs. Ethel Kent, president of the Woman’s Club said, “This flag represents the hopes and dreams of the people who came to this wilderness to escape tyranny. It represents the service of the Colonial troops, the slow but steady progress from a small village to a chartered city, with its many cultural and educational opportunities, the city we all love… May it always wave over a free people.”
The Woman’s Club of White Plains and the City of White Plains are both celebrating their centennial anniversaries this year and the Club, as it has done since 1916, continues to support the city in many ways. The Woman’s Club provides financial support to numerous local non-profit groups and its members volunteer thousands of hours every year. It also maintains the CV Rich Mansion, its beautiful historic home in White Plains. The Woman’s Club plays a vital and supportive role to women by offering a fellowship unlike any other.
For additional information about membership or upcoming Club events, visit the website at www.womansclubofwhiteplains.org or visit us on Facebook – The Woman’s Club of White Plains.
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