Star Spangled Banner Flies High on Fence Company’s Property

Ol’ Glory Flies High on American Fence & Flag Property

American Fence & Flag is known for flying Old Glory on their building in Whitehall, Pennsylvania. It covers the three-story building of this family owned and operated fence company.

“Over the years, many individuals and groups have had their photos taken with the flag,” explains Harold Mante, president and founder of American Fence & Flag. “We’ve had folks with cars and motorcycles, a fire company, and a group of World War II veterans as well as other active-duty military and veterans.”

American Fence has always had a patriotic flair, but it is now known for not only its name but the huge flag on its property. The way the flag display came about is an interesting story.

Prior to high school graduation, Mante lined up a job at an exciting new theme park in Florida: Walt Disney World. Sadly, he arrived to start work in the midst of the oil embargo in October of 1973 when Disney was laying off employees because attendance was down, so there was no longer a job for Mante. He returned to the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania at a time when Sears was hiring for the holiday season; he was able to secure a position in the toy department, which was about as close to Disney World as he could get.

As time went by, and winter headed toward spring, the toy department morphed into the garden department, which included fence installation. That was Mante’s introduction to the fence business. Not long after that, he and his good friend, Mark, both started fencing together near Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Later, they moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania to work for Anchor Fence. In 1983, Mark got married and moved back to the Wyoming Valley while Mante, eager to spread his wings, started American Fence, Inc. in 1983. Forty years later, they are still best friends and both in the fence business, though on different paths.

In those early years, fence meant mostly chain link, then wood gained popularity and over time, aluminum and vinyl fence became standards. Through the years, a variety of other products were offered as the opportunity arose, from playsets to sheds to gazebos and pergolas, but fence has always been the mainstay of the company. About fifteen years ago, the company expanded into vinyl and aluminum railing, then came the flags and flagpoles that now round out the product line.

“In September of 2012, I wanted to honor our active military, veterans and those whose lives were lost or directly impacted by the events of September 11, 2001 by raising a huge US flag on the side of the office building,” explains Mante. “I intended to have it displayed from September 11 to November 11, Veteran’s Day, that year, but it was so popular with the community, that I decided to keep it flying.”

The flag measures 30’ by 50’ and weighs about 100 pounds. Each star measures 14” across while the strips are 27” high. “It took a few tries to get the right support structure, but it has been flying high for nine years with only a few interruptions, hurricane damage in 2018 being one of them,” Mante says.

Due to weather and sun exposure, each flag usually lasts for a year and is replaced each spring. A local awning company binds the top and places the grommets in the binding to enable it to hang horizontally. The 35’ high steel structure which holds the flag consists of 2 ¼” zinc coated square steel punched tubing for the bottom half which stands 20’ high, then telescoping out of the 2 ¼” square is the same product except it is 2” square and the frame extends skyward with 15’ of that. Across the top, attached with T brackets, is 50’ of 2” square tubing. The top of the framework has four braces 20’ long attached to the roof of the building with welded plates bolted through the foot to matching steel plates in the attic. Holding the flag level and straight is 2” 20 weight pipe, welded together to form 54’ of continuous top rail.

“Attached to the pipe are four winches with 65’ of steel cable on each winch which raise and lower the flag with the help of five to six people, our team members, both men and women,” says Mante. Subsequent to hoisting the huge flag, the company expanded into the sale of flags and flagpoles and changed its trade name to American Fence & Flag. The flags are made in the United States from US materials by Annin Flagmakers, one of the oldest flag manufacturers in the country. Both polyester and nylon flags have been flown, the current one is nylon which seems to work best.

“We take great pride in raising the flag each spring,” Mante says. “It is on display 24/7 and is well lit through the night with special lights installed just for that purpose.”

For more information, visit www.american-fence.com.

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