The tradition of hanging flags at half-staff or half mast dates back to the 17th century, where the flag was lowered to make room for a “death’s flag.” On Dec. 29, President Jimmy Carter died at 100, and President Joe Biden gave the executive order that all flags should be flown at half-staff for 30 days on government and public buildings such as capitol buildings, city halls, post offices, and public schools.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, on Jan. 14, decreed that flags would be at full staff on buildings at the US capitol for the inauguration on Jan. 20. This declaration did not make it a national requirement and U.S. Flag Code gives the parameters for lowering the U.S. flag to half-staff. Nonetheless, governors in more than half of the states also directed flags be flown at full staff for the date of inauguration.
On Jan. 15, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders ordered flags to be full staff for the inauguration and returned to half-staff on Jan. 21. While some buildings, such as city buildings, had flags raised to full staff for the inauguration and returned them to half-staff on Tuesday, other federal buildings kept their flags at half-staff to follow the traditional 30 days of the original executive order.
It should be noted that after his inauguration, President Donald Trump gave an executive order that flags be flown at full staff “on this and all future Inauguration Days…” on all public buildings and military posts.
Mayor Butch Berry was quoted saying to have said that the official order was to return the flags to full staff the day following inauguration, and that was the last order received by the city of Eureka Springs. The city oversees the flags at Planer Hill and Basin Park, while Carroll County oversees the Western District courthouse flag.