Homeward Bound: The Battleship Oregon Pennant and Imperialism in Oregon

Abstract

In July 1901, a company of Oregon National Guard soldiers presented three flags — a Union Jack, a naval ensign, and a homeward bound pennant — from the battleship USS Oregon. The battleship and its crew had returned that year from engaging in pivotal battles Spanish-American War, and “brought fame and glory not only to its crew but also to the faraway state for which it had been named.” In this Object Feature, Silvie Andrews explores the rediscovery of the homeward bound pennant in the Oregon Historical Society’s museum collection and discusses the “sociopolitical forces surrounding the pennants creation, dedication, display and descent into obscurity.”