Throwback Thursday: Independence Day edition

Forty years ago, the spirit of ’76 was on the march. The nation was celebrating its Bicentennial, and Shipman Lumber Co. of Shipman, Illinois, paid tribute to Old Glory with a “Bicentennial salute in wood.”

The July 12, 1976 issue of National Home Center News, the forerunner of HBSDealer, carried this front page photo of an American flag constructed from 90,000 pounds of dimensional lumber.

Sandwiched between articles on the demise of Thunderbird Home Center based in Portland, Oregon; and the expansion of 84 Lumber in California and Nevada, the flag story carried the headline “Shipman Lumber Co. raises the flag."

“The flag stands 16 ft tall and 48-ft. long. The painting was done by a local spray painting company, and more than 20 gallons of paint with colors of Jamestown White, Flag Red and Colonial Blue were used.”

Hats off.

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