Save "Old Ironsides"
Illustration of a ship on the ocean; white text along top edge; red, white, blue shield with white banner and red text along bottom edge
White back paper with black text; text reads: U.S. FRIGATE CONSTITUTION Victorious in War and a Protector of Peace for 128 years. From Washington to Coolidge, a patriotic inspiration. SAVE "OLD IRONSIDES" FUND Boston, Mass. THE W. & H. CO. NEWARK, N.J.
Launched on October 21, 1797, the USS Constitution, populary known as "Old Ironsides," was built to protect American merchant ships from the threat of Ottoman pirates off the northern coast of Africa. Although she won countless victories during her years of active service (1797-1855), Old Ironsides is best remembered for her string of successes in the Quasi-War with France (1798-1801), the Barbary Wars (1801-1805), and the War of 1812. Despite Congress's appropriation of $100,000 in 1906 for restoration, by the early 1920s Old Ironsides had fallen into disrepair. In 1925 the National Save Old Ironsides campaign committee was organized. This committee raised funds through penny collections from school children and souvenir sales. While these campaigns in the end did not raise nearly enough money, Congress apporpriated an additional $300,000 to finish the repairs. Today, Old Ironsides can be visited as a popular tourist attraction in Boston's Charlestown Navy Yard.