MARLBORO TWP. ‒ A slice of American history that once flew over Marlboro Square during the Civil War is back in public view.
Marlboro Township Historical Society unveiled a permanent exhibit April 30 at the Dr. Kersey G. Thomas Home and Office museum with a celebration.
The exhibit features a 35-star U.S. flag from the 1860s that has been cleaned and framed. It measures 4-foot by 8-foot and has 13 stripes.
“It’s a tangible part of history and has documentation to prove its history,” said Vondea Sheaffer, president of the historical society board.
About 50 to 60 people attended the celebration that included a reception at the Altar’d Stay Bed & Breakfast. There were several speakers and food and drink.
The last time the flag was in public view was in 2019.
How is the flag connected to Marlboro Township?
The 35-star U.S. flag was official from July 4, 1863, to July 3, 1865. It flew during the peak of the Civil War, after West Virginia became a state.
Ancestors of William Webster McClun donated the flag in 2019. It flew over his family’s Marlboro store at the center of town in the 1860s.
The flag was discovered far from home, inside a blue trunk in Spokane, Washington, by McClun’s great-great-granddaughter Jody (McClun) Lund.
Lund said her family was cleaning the house and came across the trunk in storage, after forgetting it. The trunk and its contents had been passed down.
Inside the trunk, she said, were linens, vintage clothes and this “beautiful American flag” with a hand-written description pinned to it. The note had a location.
“I’ve seen the genealogy of the family, a lot of family lived in Ohio. I was thinking ‘this is great,'” Lund told guests. “I could get a lot of money for this.”
However, Lund changed her mind and donated the flag and trunk contents to the historical society. The flag was in good condition.
“I really felt it needed to be home,” she told guests. “I feel this is where it needs to be because that’s where the significance is. I’m delighted to donate it.”
Lund and her family now live in Canfield.
Memorial Day celebration in Marlboro Twp. includes free public viewing of the flag exhibit
Sheaffer said the new exhibit will be accessible for public viewing on May 25 during Memorial Day festivities at Marlboro Square.
The parade starts at 1 p.m. The museum will be open for free tours at 11:30 a.m., and New Baltimore Ice Cream will serve free treats to visitors.
“The Civil War was a defining moment for the United States, and for Marlboro to have a small part of history is cool,” Sheaffer said.
Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Marlboro Township Historical Society makes Civil War-era U.S. flag permanent exhibit
Reporting by Benjamin Duer, Canton Repository / The Alliance Review
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