Pride of place

High atop the "Devil's backbone" a ridge of rock jutting from the forested mountainside of Iron Gate Gorge in Allegheny County, Va., flies an American flag on the ridge's treacherous tip.

For years drivers on U.S. 220 have stopped to snap photos and wonder who in their right mind would climb up there to maintain it. Devil's Backbone thrusts from Wilson Mountain like a fin from a 1959 Cadillac. Its craggy peak hovers hundreds of feet above the Jackson River within the Iron Gate gorge.

The banner's steady presence there has long been a point of pride in Iron Gate where natives, town government, volunteer firefighters and other locals have been the flag's stewards through many years. Some say for 50 years. Some say much longer. Some say less.

Now in the hands of private citizens, the flag continues to fly despite harsh weather conditions at what the Blue Ridge Parkway service reports to be an elevation of 2,708 feet. There are only 372 residents in Iron Gate, but the locals are not about to let their patriotic fixture fall into disrepair.

About 10 years ago Tim Tabor, now 45 and living in North Carolina, and Steve Brackenridge of Iron Gate planted the current solid aluminum pole into the rock with concrete and water they hauled up in backpacks. Tabor said some folks pale after scrambling up the steep mountainside when facing the prospect of actually braving a scramble down to the rock's tip. The spine of the rock is narrow, probably wide enough for just two or three people side by side, Tabor said. And the path to the tip follows a downward slope. A fall to either side would likely yield a funeral.

Tabor once escorted a man to Devil's Backbone who longed to install a cross on the crag. Never happened. The man would not stand atop the narrow ridge, Tabor said. "He wore the seat of his pants out before he could get off there," he said. "He was scared to death."

Charlotte Court House

One hundred and twenty four miles to the southeast of Iron Gate, the little Piedmont town of Charlotte Court House keeps a star spangled banner flying proudly in front of its own major landmark: the courthouse building.

The only courthouse known to have been designed by Thomas Jefferson still standing in Virginia, Charlotte Courthouse marks the place where American statesman Patrick Henry delivered his last public speech.

Still as proud as it was when Henry called Charlotte County home, the courthouse town showcases many flags that fly over citizens' homes and farms in the surrounding area.

"There's a lot of people that fly the American flag down here" said Mayor Stephen Walker. Walker said that he passes about 20 flags on private residences during his 50 mile commute to work every day. For a town of only about 400, that's a significant turnout.

Patriotic holidays also bring a crop of miniature flags to complement the town's larger banners. "On the Fourth of July, we plant about 150 along the roadside and around the courthouse." Walker said.

Tangier

Coastal Virginia is not to be left out of the flag-flying trend. Reachable only by boat or plane, the tiny island town of Tangier, Va. on the Chesapeake Bay hoists the stars and stripes over both land and sea no matter what time of year it is.

Sylvia Bonniwell, a Tangier resident who gives tours of the town to visitors said that "everybody" on the 0.25 square mile island flies the flag.

"Businesses, cemeteries; even the little work boats that fish crab and oyster do it" she said.

One of Tangier's signature attractions is the cruise ship by name of the "Chesapeake Breeze" which ferries passengers from the mainland to the island for day trips. The ship features an American flag fluttering from her mast in the salty air.

Vigilance to maintain flags under varied conditions is a thread that connects many of Virginia's small towns. The pattern seems natural to residents, and symbolizes a common culture. As Iron Gate Mayor Alan Williams put it,

"Small towns have more pride-they look after each other."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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