AUGUSTA, Maine — Monday is Flag Day, and Mainers have a couple of reasons to hold their heads high. The first is patriotic pride, and the second is to actually see the stars and stripes perched way up high on top of the flagpole. But there's one place in Maine where you can see all kinds of flags without craning your neck.
The Hall of Flags at the Maine State House is a treasure trove of history. It began after the Civil War when troops brought home the flags they carried into battle. The collection has grown with flags from all the conflicts in which Mainers have fought since then.
The flags at the State House are replicas, as the originals are too fragile to be on constant display. The originals are kept at the Maine State Museum, where they can receive proper care. The museum is currently closed for renovations, but when it's open, the original flags are rotated regularly for public viewing.
Laurie LaBar, chief curator of history and decorative arts at the Maine State Museum, oversees the collection. She said one of the earliest flags on display still gets the most attention from visitors.
"The most important one in our collection is arguably the 20th Maine battle flag from Little Round Top at Gettysburg. And all these flags I get choked up about, they're so important," LaBar said. "There are holes all through it. It's in tatters. And we have photos of what it looked like hanging in the field before they finally rolled it up, crumpled it up, and put it in a little box."
LaBar said another flag that stands out is one that belonged to the 16th Maine Regiment during the Civil War, which was completely overrun by the opposition. LaBar said the entire regiment was either wounded or captured, but before that happened, soldiers asked if they could rip up the flag in an attempt to hide their identities. LaBar said the museum now has five pieces of that flag.
Another flag that stands out to LaBar is one from the battle of Leyte Gulf during World War II. She said that flag took five kamikaze hits and still was afloat. In that case, she said, the captain ordered that flag be ripped up, so the pieces could be given to the soldiers who survived as a sort of medal of honor.
"Those are the most poignant and important, and I get choked up every time because the stories are so dramatic," LaBar said, wiping her eyes.
Preserving these flags isn't as simple as just touching them up with a needle and thread. LaBar said they don't want to put any new holes in a flag, so they can't stitch a flag where it is intact. It's an elaborate process that involves special surfaces and materials that won't damage flags' fibers.
LaBar said the best thing people can do to help preserve the flags is to go see them. She said in doing so, Mainers can learn a lot about the state's history. People can also donate money toward preserving the flags.