Lincoln weekend advances flag story
MILFORD The Apr. 14, 1865 assassination of 16th President Abraham Lincoln an event considered by some as unparalleled in United States history marked the beginning of a legacy not only for Americans, but also for the now residents of Milford. The flag that supposedly cradled the wounded head of President Lincoln in Ford’s Theatre of Washington D.C. passed through the hands of three generations until its donation in 1954 to the Pike County Historical Society. Yet 143 years after President Lincoln’s death and 54 years after the banner was placed in the Columns Museum, the society decided the artifact deserved more recognition, and scheduled a Lincoln weekend from Apr. 11-13 to both honor the late President and increase awareness of their blood-stained flag. Observers called the weekend a great success.“Today, some have said this is the most people they’ve seen at the Columns,” said museum staff member Richard Smyth on Saturday, adding that visitors hailed from Scranton, Middletown, N.Y. and even Long Island. “This is important to history,” said Smyth, who is considered a museum aficionado on the bloody spangled banner. “A lot of museums don’t have the provenance that this artifact does this was from one of our greatest Presidents and it’s right here in Pike County.” According to Smyth, the local story of the flag includes actor Thomas Gourlay and his daughters, who grabbed one of five American flags flanking President Lincoln’s balcony to support his head after the shooting at Ford’s Theatre. The flag was later passed on to Gourlay’s daughter Jeannie, who married Milford man Robert Struthers in the early 1900’s. Before her death, Gourlay-Struthers gave the artifact to son V. Paul Struthers, responsible for donating it in 1954 with his mother’s era dresses and possessions. Though scientific tests prove both the flag’s blood and dye are from the period, the blood’s owner cannot be determined. Since Lincoln has no direct modern descendants, there is no DNA with which to compare a blood sample. “Overall, I’m very happy with the way this all went,” said Dick Daddis, the society’s president. “Everything was fantastic and outstanding.” He said that though numerous people have asked that he repeat the weekend next year, there is nothing planned yet. Daddis did note the bicentennial anniversary of Lincoln’s birth in 2009, saying an event might be scheduled. At the end of this three-day historical extravaganza, the Pike County Historical Society hopes that the Northeastern PA area has gained a newfound appreciation of one of America’s most beloved Presidents and the presence of such a significant relic. For more photos, visit www,pikecountycourier.com .