# War of 1812- English/ UK flag over the White House? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 19, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-1812-english-uk-flag-over-the-white-house/628736 "2012-07-19T16:18:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SubcomandanteMarcos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SubcomandanteMarcos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SubcomandanteMarcos)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-1812-english-uk-flag-over-the-white-house/628736/1 "2012-07-19T16:18:28Z")
Hey folks, Some buddies and I went out for trivia last night and were presented the following question: Aside from the US flag, what is the only other flag to have flown over the White House? Now the “correct” answer is the POW-MIA flag, but we answered with the Union Jack. According to the ever-reliable Wikipedia, the Brits did indeed fly the flag prior to burning the place down, but that bold claim has no citation. Any 19th century history buffs have the straight dope on this? Thanks a lot! ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-1812-english-uk-flag-over-the-white-house/628736/2 "2012-07-19T16:38:39Z")
It’s the White House because they could not scrub off the charring and smoke stains after the Brits burned the place, so the government whitewashed it. But did they fly a flag? Who knows… ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-1812-english-uk-flag-over-the-white-house/628736/3 "2012-07-19T16:51:01Z")
Even if they did hoist the Union Jack, does it count as “flying over the White House” if the White House _per se_ didn’t exist at the time? ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-1812-english-uk-flag-over-the-white-house/628736/4 "2012-07-19T17:57:32Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Even if they did hoist the Union Jack, does it count as “flying over the White House” if the White House _per se_ didn’t exist at the time? Yeah, it would have been the Limestone House when the Limeys burned it. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-1812-english-uk-flag-over-the-white-house/628736/5 "2012-07-19T18:25:55Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > It’s the White House because they could not scrub off the charring and smoke stains after the Brits burned the place, so the government whitewashed it. > > But did they fly a flag? Who knows… That’s a myth, according to Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > The building was originally referred to variously as the “President’s Palace”, “Presidential Mansion”, or “President’s House”.[15] The earliest evidence of the public calling it the “White House” was recorded in 1811.[16] A myth emerged that during the rebuilding of the structure after the Burning of Washington, white paint was applied to mask the burn damage it had suffered,[17] giving the building its namesake hue.[18] ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-1812-english-uk-flag-over-the-white-house/628736/6 "2012-07-19T18:27:13Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > That’s a myth, according to Wikipedia: You mean I’m mythtaken? Doh! ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-1812-english-uk-flag-over-the-white-house/628736/7 "2012-07-19T20:07:48Z")
Yeah, I thought the American’s had that flag, in one of their institutions, and that it was the only Union Jack, lost in such a way, and never recovered, to the chagrin of the British. Not sure I have that right. Or when, or where, I heard this, perhaps I read it in a book? (I am a Canadian and could be entirely misremembering, please excuse!) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-1812-english-uk-flag-over-the-white-house/628736/8 "2012-07-19T20:17:27Z")
Since the White House isn’t a boat, they would have flown a Union _Flag_ from it. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-1812-english-uk-flag-over-the-white-house/628736/9 "2012-07-20T00:03:20Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Since the White House isn’t a boat, they would have flown a Union _Flag_ from it. Thank you, [Rose Tyler](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emUtkIr7e7A&feature=player_detailpage#t=83s). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-1812-english-uk-flag-over-the-white-house/628736/10 "2012-07-20T01:26:51Z")
I’ve read quite a bit about the British burning of Washington over the years, and don’t remember ever reading that the invaders actually hoisted a flag over the President’s house. I don’t even think there was a flagpole on the roof back then. A pretty well-known recent painting of the deed: [http://images.suite101.com/3692788\_com\_the\_burning\_of\_the\_white\_house\_1814.jpg](http://images.suite101.com/3692788_com_the_burning_of_the_white_house_1814.jpg) A contemporary illustration of the aftermath: [http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha\_exhibits/james\_hoban/images/side\_hoban-06a.jpg](http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_exhibits/james_hoban/images/side_hoban-06a.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-1812-english-uk-flag-over-the-white-house/628736/11 "2012-07-21T16:21:38Z")
Um, I don’t think you’d raise your flag and _then_ set a fire, kind of doesn’t make any sense. Seems more likely they’d light the fire and then raise their flag over the pile of ash that was once the White House, doesn’t it? Maybe that’s why it doesn’t count as having flown ‘over the White House’? ---
**Author:** ![bokitsd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@bokitsd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bokitsd)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-1812-english-uk-flag-over-the-white-house/628736/12 "2013-04-08T03:05:16Z")
“Aside from the US flag, what is the only other flag to have flown over the White House?” The records show it was the Serbian flag, to honor their brave soldiers in WW1. ([http://serbia.usembassy.gov/when-the-serbian-flag-flew-over-the-white-house.html](http://serbia.usembassy.gov/when-the-serbian-flag-flew-over-the-white-house.html)) ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-1812-english-uk-flag-over-the-white-house/628736/13 "2013-04-08T03:13:51Z")
Some bartender’s going to have a hard time soon.