# rural New York sight - stars on houses **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 10, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999 "2009-08-10T23:50:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Captain\_S\_itmagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@Captain\_S\_itmagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_S_itmagnet)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/1 "2009-08-10T23:50:07Z")
Hey folks… We were driving through rural parts of NY State last week, namely the area between Watertown and Potsdam and noticed a common sight was a large star hung on the sides of many houses. There were blue, silver and I believe red ones, sometimes more than one per house, but never two different colours on the same house. Is this strictly a local adornment, or is it, as I suspect to signify that there is a member of the residence serving in the military? What leads me to this is the proximity of Fort drum to where we were. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/2 "2009-08-11T00:37:36Z")
I have no idea, but we’ve got them here in suburban Massachusetts too. ---
**Author:** ![MrFloppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@MrFloppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFloppy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/3 "2009-08-11T00:57:29Z")
I believe it is to signify that a member of the household is currently in the military or has been a member of the miltary. There is a color code but I am not familiar with it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/4 "2009-08-11T01:00:36Z")
I think you’re seeing [barn stars](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_star), which are merely decorative. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/5 "2009-08-11T02:26:58Z")
Could be a [Service flag](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_flag) if the stars are on banners. Otherwise, probably a barn star. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/6 "2009-08-11T02:34:10Z")
The house next door (suburbs) has a big rust colored one on their house. It looks nice, they’re sold in artsy-crafty type stores around here purely for ‘country’ decor, and every other catalog I get features them. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/7 "2009-08-11T16:25:08Z")
I have a large black star on the front of my white house. I purchased it in Smicksburg, PA from a store that sells Amish stuff. It is (in my case) simply decorative. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/8 "2009-08-11T16:44:36Z")
Suburban and rural New Jersey too. I always thought they were an offshoot of the American Flags that appeared on so many houses following 9/11, which grew into sort of a patriotic decoration. I don’t think I saw any of them before that date. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/9 "2009-08-11T17:38:19Z")
It sounds like you’re talking about [“hex signs”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_sign). We used to have one on our house in PA when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/10 "2009-08-11T18:23:08Z")
Not hex signs. The OP is talking about [barn stars](http://www.americantinstar.com/site/1506961/page/2529837), which are Amish/PA Dutch but apparently have been co-opted by the Kitschy Ersatz Rural Decoration industry. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/11 "2009-08-11T19:27:56Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Not hex signs. The OP is talking about [barn stars](http://www.americantinstar.com/site/1506961/page/2529837), which are Amish/PA Dutch but apparently have been co-opted by the Kitschy Ersatz Rural Decoration industry. Huh. I’ve never seen any of those… ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/12 "2009-08-11T20:59:45Z")
Barn stars are very common around here, in southern PA. They are mostly a rural tradition, and aren’t strictly Amish/PA Dutch. We have one on our house. It’s just for decoration. As Dewey Finn’s link says, they are supposed to bring you good luck, like hanging a horseshoe above your door. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/13 "2009-08-11T21:53:21Z")
> [@Astroboy14](#): > > Huh. I’ve never seen any of those… It’s a Yankee thing. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/14 "2009-08-12T19:04:39Z")
First saw them in Dayton, Ohio, about four years ago. Like the OP, I thought they were a military thing (Dayton has a big Air Force base). And then, suddenly, they were everywhere. Within weeks my neighbor here in Massachusetts had one. I’m totally sick of them by now. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/15 "2009-08-12T21:35:14Z")
Around here it usually means Christmas Tree Shops is having a sale. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rural-new-york-sight-stars-on-houses/505999/16 "2009-08-12T23:01:55Z")
> [@Eutychus](#): > > Around here it usually means Christmas Tree Shops is having a sale. +1 … I would rather have a traditional hex sign on my barn, maybe ill get mrAru to make me one 😛