Flag Preservation
Years ago while I was in Des Moines, Iowa, I went to the beautiful state capitol building to see the flag collection. These valuable relics of Iowa’s valor were hanging on flag staffs in glass cases in the rotunda. I noted the piles of silk chips under each of the flags. As I turned to leave, then Governor Terry Branstad came down the stairs. I told him that I was a Civil War flags historian from Ohio. I mentioned the silk chips and implored him to see what could be done to get the flags off display and into safe flat storage and a conservation program to preserve them for future generations of Iowans. I will not take any credit for the wonderful flag conservation program that Iowa now has, but perhaps Governor Branstad had conversations with people who influenced the program now in place. Iowa has state-of-the-art flag storage in a climate-controlled environment staffed by a full-time conservator assisted by dedicated volunteers. They publish a newsletter to keep people apprised on their progress and what flags are on display. Having seen the collection I can attest to the staff’s dedication and professionalism. Iowa is one example of the national flag conservation movement that has been under way for about 30 years. As I noted in a recent Banners in the Breeze column, Pennsylvania has one of the earliest and best documented flag conservation programs. Many of the Northern state flag collection preservation efforts began under the same circumstances that I saw in Iowa — flags displayed in the capitol rotunda literally falling apart. For Michigan that was certainly the case. When the state legislature appropriated funds, a portion went for full-scale replicas to be hung in the same spot as the original flags. This is a great way to show the flags and then appeal to the public for donations to keep the flags conserved. Flags are powerful physical images. Even reproductions can stir emotions which can lead to increased preservation donations. With state funding dropping the last few years, flag collections have had to turn to outside sources to maintain their collections and fund conservation. Heritage organizations like the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUV) have stepped forward on an individual camp basis and, in some cases, on a state division basis. The Tennessee Division SCV has a wonderful program in place thanks to the SCV vehicle license plates. Each calendar quarter, the division sends a percentage of the funds raised from plate sales to the Tennessee State Museum for flag conservation. This amounts to thousands of dollars each year. In addition, some individuals raise funds for particular flags, like Ronny Mangrum of the Roderick War Horse Camp who is working to conserve the 20th Tennessee’s First National battle flag. Florida and Mississippi also benefit from close relationships with their state SCV divisions. Since 1999, the Mississippi Division, through the sale of flag coffee mugs and a portion of its license plate fees, has donated $107,000 to the Museum of Mississippi History. The SCV executive committee just chose the next flag to be conserved, the 11th Mississippi’s Lamar Rifles presentation banner. Florida, which began its flag conservation program in 1987, has conserved 14 of its 21 flags, many with state SCV assistance. Five of the flags are on display thanks to this generosity. The state SCV has a Web site for the flags at www.florida-scv.org/projects/ The Alabama Department of Archives and History has been blessed with dedicated flag historians since its founding in 1901. The first director, Thomas Owen, wrote everyone he could find who held Alabama flags asking that they be donated to the state. His modern heir apparent, Robert Bradley, has done extensive provenance research, which can be found on the department’s Web site, www.archives.state.al.us, under “flags,” and has worked very well with state SCV camps. Seventeen of the collection’s 91 flags have been conserved and two more go to conservators soon. Georgia’s Capitol Museum, which holds the flags collection, has benefited from relationships with the SCV and the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC,) which have contributed money and, in a couple cases, flags. The museum’s flag book, available through the Georgia Department of State, helps fund flag conservation. The conserved flags are exhibited in a rotating display in the State Capitol. North Carolina not only works with the state’s SCV camps, which have conserved five flags, but also reenacting units. By adopting the flag of the unit they portray these units have conserved or will be conserving nine flags. The Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Va., holds the largest collection of Confederate flags in the world. Its conservation effort began in 1994. To date 49 flags have been conserved. The museum’s informative Web site (www.moc.org) displays the collection, listing flags that need conservation help. A “Collector’s Corner” teaches how older conservation methods can be reversed. The New York State Military Museum in Albany cares for hundreds of Civil War flags, the largest state collection in the nation. Its Web site (dmna.state.ny.us/historic/mil-hist.htm) details the ongoing conservation program and how people can contribute. I served on the Save the Ohio Flags Committee in the 1990s. Our two-fold dilemma was not only the more than 400 Civil War flags, but also the 1960s conservation method. While it could be reversed, it was very time-consuming and expensive to do so. Thus, only a few flags have been conserved to date. Indiana, Massachusetts and other Northern states have conservation programs in place and New Hampshire is just beginning one, which is great news. This report is a small snapshot of what is being done to conserve Civil War flags. Most states have some ongoing conservation program in place. Professionals work with these collections and all are dedicated to their causes, but they need your help. Civil War Round Tables, SCV and SUV camps, UDC chapters and others who have not yet stepped up to contribute financially need to do so. Some of the silk flags in these collections need help and fast. Once they are gone they cannot be replaced. Students have held bake sales for flags and civic groups have adopted flags after learning of their conditions, but more can be done. Many of these flags will cost $25,000-$40,000 to conserve, especially the silk banners. This figure can be reached by getting 5,000-8,000 people to contribute only $5 each. Even in these tough financial times that is doable for most people. Museums need to expand their outreach to the states they serve and residents need to reach out to their museums to see what they can do to help. I would like to see the Sons of Union Veterans and Sons of Confederate Veterans, on a national level, contribute a portion of their annual dues to conserving flags. I have advocated this for years in the SCV. I would also like to see a national organization along the lines of the Civil War Preservation Trust created to conserve the flags. Our battlefields and flags have two things in common: both were present 150 years ago and both are irreplaceable. The battlefield can be a housing development and the flag a pile of chips or dust. With the Sesquicentennial upon us, many museums, like Arkansas’ Old Capitol Museum, are planning large flag displays. This can only be done with conserved flags. Please see what you can do to help.
Greg Biggs has been studying Civil War flags for over 20 years. He has consulted for several museums and owners and has contributed to books on the flags of Texas and Georgia. He is completing Volunteer Banners: The Civil War Flags of Tennessee for the Tennessee State Museum and University of Tennessee Press.
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