National treasure: saluting the Lincoln Flag

MILFORD — One of American history’s most remarkable artifacts, revered through its connection to the last hours of a beloved assassinated president, hangs in a display case in a quiet corner of The Columns, the majestic home of the Pike County Historical Society in Milford. The Lincoln Flag is the 36-star, blood-stained American flag that hung from the President’s Box at Ford’s Theater when Abraham Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865. The wool flag, 153 inches by 104 inches, cushioned the head of the mortally wounded Lincoln who died the next day from his wounds. “This is one of the most important flags in American history,” Dick Daddis, the historical society’s president, said. He compared The Lincoln Flag in significance to the original flag designed by Betsy Ross, the flag that flew over Fort Sumter at the beginning of the Civil War and immortalized by Francis Scott Key as the “Star Spangled Banner”, and the flag raised atop Iwo Jima during World War II. To help underwrite events planned by the society to participate in the observance of the anniversary of Lincoln’s death in April, Pike County Light & Power Co. (PCL&P) has awarded $5,000 to the Pike County Historical Society. PCL&P Vice President — Customer Service James O’Brien said, “PCL&P is proud to join with the Pike County Historical Society in presenting this ambitious, thoughtful program. In its own unique way, this program developed by our neighbors helps us understand more clearly how we live Lincoln’s Legacy in our own lives each and every day.” How did the flag come to Milford? Thomas Gourlay, actor and part-time manager at Ford’s Theater, and his daughter, Jeannie Gourlay Struthers, who later became a resident of Milford, were both performing in the play, “Our American Cousin”, on the evening that Lincoln was shot. Thomas Gourlay helped attend to the mortally wounded president, at one point putting the flag under Lincoln’s head as he lay dying on the floor. Gourlay kept the flag for many years and, prior to his death in the 1880s, gave it to his daughter, Jeannie, who bequeathed the flag to her only son, Vivian Paul Struthers. The flag was donated to the Pike County Historical Society by Struthers in 1954. The flag’s provenance has been authenticated by Lincoln scholars and is recognized as a national treasure. The flag has undergone restoration and conservation treatment to help protect it from the wear of aging. The Pike County Historical Society has developed an ambitious weekend-long program, Apr. 11- Apr. 13, designed to educate and entertain students, parents and even grandparents by presenting reenactments of historical events surrounding Lincoln’s presidency. The event will feature a re-enactment of Lincoln’s funeral procession, complete with horse-drawn hearse, a replica of the original coffin and a Union Army Honor Guard. Additional events include re-enactor Darren Fause, re-counting the thoughts of Lincoln on the last day of his life; a round-table discussion of Lincoln scholars discussing the assassination’s impact on American history and a Civil War encampment re-enactment on the grounds of the museum.