Bristol approves $1,000 to buy traveling cover so town can host the Nathaniel Biffield flag

The Town of Bristol voted to provide $1,000 from council contingency funds to the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society to buy a protective traveling cover for the Nathaniel Biffield flag, the society said is the oldest known flag in the United States. Katherine Ze, director of the preservation society, told the council the cover will allow the flag to travel flat and be displayed safely for school groups and the public during the town’s 250th observances, which the society described as tentatively scheduled for June 10–14.

Ze said Varnum Armory has stewarded and conserved the flag for several years and that the requested cover would be reusable for future visits. Council members praised the project’s educational value for school field trips and supported the one-time expenditure. The motion to fund the travel cover passed by voice vote; council members asked that annual reporting from the society be included in future consent agendas when logistical details are finalized. The funding request was presented as a one-time travel gear expense to protect a fragile artifact and make it more accessible to local residents and students.