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Society opens a showcase of historic American flags Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Carol Samuelson and Bill Miller stroll past a display of historic American flags at the Southern Oregon Historical Society building in downtown Medford. The patriotic exhibit shows the evolution of the Stars and Stripes as more and more states were admitted to the Union. By JOHN DARLING In response to an upwelling of patriotic feeling locally following the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, the Southern Oregon Historical Society is displaying a collection of U.S. flags that show the evolution of the Stars and Stripes through the centuries. The prize of the group of tattered banners is a rare 39-star flag from 1889, when flag makers mistakenly thought Dakota would be admitted as one state, rather than North and South Dakota, said curator Mary Ames Sheret. When Congress did make a change, it created a 43-star flag marking admission of five Northwestern states in 1891. "The Historical Society wanted to be patriotic," Sheret said, pointing out a display of Norman Rockwell's "Four Freedoms" posters from World War II. "I think this one, 'Freedom From Fear,' is very appropriate for these times and touches sentiments people are feeling since the attacks." Displayed with the flags at the History Center in Medford are Liberty Loan posters from World War I, a 1900 dress made from flag bunting and Americana-festooned relics, including artwork, an embroidered pillow, a Red Cross veil and scarf from World War I, a homemade handkerchief holder from the same period, a silk scarf depicting a 38-star flag, a cornhusk bag with an American eagle design from Pendleton, a U.S. flag tobacco premium on flannel and an 1867 shelf clock with eagle and stars. The biggest flag on display is an 8-by-12-foot, 45-star flag authorized with the admission of Utah in 1896. The earliest genuine flag is a 36-star banner, which began to fly when Kansas was admitted to the union in 1861. Federal law didn't stipulate the arrangement of stars back then, only their number, Sheret said, so the flag maker put six stars in a circle of stars. The display includes a huge 38-star flag created with the admission of Colorado in 1877, a 46-star flag created with admission of Oklahoma in 1908 and a 48-star flag, authorized in 1912 with the admission of Arizona and New Mexico, the last of the contiguous 48 states. It endured 47 years and flew through two world wars. The society also is showing the 49-star flag, which lasted only a year between the admission of Alaska and Hawaii as states. The nation's original 13-star flag, which flew from 1777-1795, is also on display, but it's thought to be a later reproduction, not a genuine antique, Sheret said. All the flags have been donated to the society by area residents. Set amid the Four Freedoms posters is another 1943 poster quoting the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt: "The state of this nation is good. The heart of this nation is sound. The spirit of this nation is strong. The faith of this nation is eternal." The History Center, at 106 N. Central Ave., is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free. John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.