New Jersey celebrates ‘Uncle Sam Day’

<p>Sept. 13 marks &ldquo;Uncle Sam Day&rdquo; in an effort to celebrate American icon.</p>

News 12 Staff

Sep 13, 2017, 11:27 PM

Updated 2,561 days ago

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Sept. 13 marks “Uncle Sam Day” in an effort to celebrate American icon.
The owners of the Old Glory restaurant in Keyport say Uncle Sam’s American flag uniform that he wears in the famous “I Want You” World War I poster was based off a uniform they have hanging in the restaurant.
The owners say that they bought it in an online auction. It now sits in a case at the front entrance.
“It’s priceless as far as I’m concerned, considering it’s part of American history,” says owner Ken Lawlor. “People can come into Keyport and see it here as opposed to it being in Washington at the Smithsonian.”
“Uncle Sam Day” was chosen to be on Sept. 13 because it’s the birthday of Samuel Wilson, a New York butcher during the War of 1812. Many historians believe that the name Uncle Sam came from Wilson, who was born in 1766.