Globetrotting flag comes to Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — From July 1–4, Pittsburgh hosted a special guest: an American flag that has toured the globe to celebrate the nation’s 250th year. 

Flag Sojourn 250 was a unique event created by the National Flag Foundation, a nonprofit, non-partisan organization headquartered in Pittsburgh with the goal of honoring the flag and raising awareness of its history and significance.

The tour began last year in France, at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery. After completing its international stops at every American cemetery overseas, the flag was sent to each U.S. state and territory, beginning in Hawaii on Oct. 17, 2025.

The final leg of Sojourn 250 was the Pittsburgh Regional Sojourn, from July 1–4, 2026. The flag was flown in 13 locations in Greater Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania, including Fort Ligonier, Fort Pitt and the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.

In the early morning of July 4, the flag began its last stretch of the journey, escorted from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., by an American Legion convoy. The flag was flown at the U.S. Capitol as part of D.C.’s 250th celebration.  

The 13 stops on the Pittsburgh Regional Tour represented the 13 original American colonies, like the number of stripes on the American flag. The city itself was also an intentional and significant choice for the final leg of Sojourn 250.

“Pittsburgh’s story is America’s story,” said Mary Murrin, CEO of Rivers of Steel, a partner organization of the Regional Sojourn. “For more than 250 years, Pittsburgh has been a place where revolutions begin.” 

The opening shots of the French and Indian War were fired in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, in what is now Fayette County. Those shots initiated the series of events that led to the American Revolution.

The bridges and skyscrapers of the city are reminders of the Industrial Revolution that shaped the skylines of the continent, and the origins of the steel industry that became integral to Pittsburgh’s economy.