Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 24, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 September 1901 — A Flag With a History. [ARTICLE]

A Flag With a History.

A large flag displayed Thursday and appropriately draped in mourning, by W. C. Shead, the newsdealer, has an, interesting history, and is an heirloom greatly prized by Mr. Shead. It was made in 1862 at West Trey, Wis., by the Women’s Union League, of that town, and of which Mr. Shead’s mother was president. The flag was displayed at halfmast when Lincoln was buried 36 years ago, and again on the day of Garfield’s funeral, 20 yeats ago. It has thus been displayed in mourning, at the funerals of all three of o,ur murdered presidents. The material of the flag is red, blue and white cotton, but even good cotton cloth in those days was higher than silk is now. Its colors, cotton though it is, are as bright and strong now as they were 36 years The sewing on the flag was done by hand, there having been few good sewing machines then. The stars also were cut and sewed on by hand. There are 33 stars on the flag, there having been that many states in the union at that time, counting the eleven which were trying so hard to kick out of it.