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Restored militia flag comes home
By Jenny Hartley - Senior Reporter
The Lancaster News October 31, 2006
The 1841
Lancaster Invincibles militia flag has been returned to Lancaster County
after being restored in Maryland.
The flag, while protected by bubble wrap at the moment, will hang in the
second floor lobby of the County Administration Building, said Lancaster
County Historical Commission member Jo Williams.
The historical commission will unveil the flag at a public ceremony
Nov. 19 at the County Administration Building.
"I've seen worse, but it definitely needed some serious
attention," said another local historian, Lindsey Pettus, of
the flag's condition.
It was taken to Maryland to be restored after being kept at the
state museum for about 15 years. It was more economical to take
the flag to Maryland, rather than pay more than $1,000 in shipping
costs, Williams said.
"It just fit in the back of my van," she said. |
This 1841
Lancaster Invincibles militia flag has been restored and returned
to Lancaster. It will be unveiled at a Nov. 19 ceremony at the
Lancaster County Administration Building, where it will be
displayed. photo courtesy of Jo Williams
A grand old flag has finally returned home.
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There is no proof or record
that the flag was ever flown in battle, so it was in fair shape, but
still needed restoration to remove stains, fix a tear and preserve
the fringe. It was also badly wrinkled, and measured 43 inches by 44
inches.
Williams said the restoration company vacuum-cleaned the flag, and
carefully removed two strips of adhesive tape from the back that
had been used to display it years ago.
The flag was humidified with a light misting of distilled water,
then air-dried and flattened on paper towels under a glass
weight, Williams said.
"They had to be careful so the colors wouldn't run,"
she said. The flag had been wrinkled so badly that it flattened
out to 52 inches by 52 inches when the restoration was finished.
The flag returned home Sept. 26.
"I'm heaving the biggest sigh of relief you ever saw in
your life," Williams said. "This was the first
time we (the historical commission) did something like
this."
The commission received a lot of guidance from Fritz
Hammer, head curator of the state museum, Williams said.
The flag cost $7,250 to restore. The conservation cost
was paid for by the Lancaster County Historical
Commission and by a city of Lancaster hospitality tax
grant. The conservation process took about six months.
"It's a piece of Lancaster County history that
needed to be preserved," Pettus said. "I
commend all those involved in carrying this out."
Williams is glad that the flag has returned home for
free, unlike the state's battle flags linked to the
Buford massacre that were recently auctioned for $1
million and will not be displayed.
"Sinful," Williams said, wrinkling her
nose.
Flag's background
The flag's background includes a love story
and lots of interstate travel. According to a
history of the flag compiled by Williams:
The flag had been in four states before
being returned to Lancaster in 1946. It was
on display here after 1946 at the county
courthouse, the county library and at Andrew
Jackson State Park.
The flag was presented to the Lancaster
Invincibles, a South Carolina militia
company, which had been organized at Salem
Campground near present day Heath Springs
on July 3, 1841. Since July 4 fell on a
Sunday, the ceremony was held on July 3,
according to recollections of William
Riley Clanton. He also recalled that the
flag was accepted by Capt. Robert Kirk,
commanding officer of the Invincibles.
Clanton also recalled seeing the young
ladies who embroidered the flag working on
it.
The flag was designed by John B. Bowman,
a school teacher at Stonesboro, and made
by two local ladies, Jane Bell and Emily
Perry.
The flag has a blue silk background
with two short red stripes and two
long red stripes stretching across the
entire length of the flag. The center
has the federal eagle embroidered in
gold. There are three arrows in the
eagle's left claw and an olive branch
in his right claw. The eagle has a
ribbon in his beak with the motto
"E. Pluribus Unum."
The 13 stars above the eagle are
embroidered in gold, with "We
honor those who" embroidered on
one side of the eagle and
"guard our liberties" on
the other side. A palmetto tree,
symbol of the state of South
Carolina, is embroidered on the
right side of the eagle beneath the
stars.
Beneath the eagle in three arched
lines is the following:
"Presented by the Ladies of
Lancaster Dist./Rict. The
Lancaster Invincibles July 3, 1841
AAI."
Mary Clough Sweetland had come
to Lancaster County to teach
school and had fallen in love
with a Lancaster County soldier.
On his deathbed, he asked that
the flag be sent to his
sweetheart, Sweetland, in
Sandusky, Ohio.
In some unknown way, the
request was carried out.
Sweetland's daughter inherited
the flag so beloved by her
mother and kept it as a sacred
trust.
The location of the flag was
not known until January 1901
when W.S.L. Porter, clerk of
court of Lancaster County,
received a letter from a
Florence Estelle Taylor of
Boston, daughter of Mary
Clough Sweetland.
Nothing more was heard
about the flag until May
16, 1946. Lee O.
Montgomery, clerk of court
in Lancaster County,
received a package from
San Diego, Calif. This
package contained the
Invincibles' flag and the
1901 letters.
Taylor had kept her
promise to return the
flag to "the place
where it was born."
The letter also states,
"I am 73 years old
and think the flag needs
its old home."
Contact
Jenny Hartley at 283-1151
or jhartley@thelancasternews.com
Article
© The
Lancaster News,
reprinted with
permission.
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