Flag stained with Lincoln's blood on display in Milford

[Ed Steers]

For my first entry on Roger's Blog I thought I would write a few words about the Milford Flag and some of its modern history. For many years I spent my summers on Lake Wallenpaupack not far from Milford and the Pike Co Historical Society. The Director was a good friend of my father's and during one visit to the Lake in the 1970s Dad took me over to Milford to visit the museum and the director. Knowing my interest in Lincoln, the Director showed me the flag and told me its provenance. One thing led to another and knowing I was a research scientist graciously agreed to let me take a few samples of red yarn/thread and a saline sample of the alleged blood stains on the flag. Working at the National Institutes of Health I had an exceptionally well equipped lab. At the time I was doing research on a particular blood disease (ITP) among other projects, and had also developed tests separately to determine the origins of red dyes. I did this as a result of several friends who had what they believed were Civil War flags and wanted some objective evidence to support their flags age (unfortunately, many proved post-war). My dye tests could distinguish the two natural dyes, madder (root) and cochineal (beetle) from the synthetic azo-red dyes. The azo dyes did not come to the US until 1866 (from Germany) and replaced the natural dyes. So here was a test that could distinguish between pre-1866 and post-1866. The flag contained madder as its red dye. This along with the various techniques of manufacture that I studied at the time (yarn twist s or z) stitch style, star construction, seam style, etc. clearly supported the Civil War date of the flag. The stains tested positive for heme, a major component of blood. The test is extremely senstive and rather specific. The stains were blood, but whose blood is impossible to tell without further typing or doing DNA analysis (note: red blood cells do not have DNA). None of the Lincoln people I associated with at the time knew of the flag, and so I gave a talk about to the Lincoln Group of DC sometime in the early 1980s, and wrote a little article on the flag for Group's newsletter, The Lincolnian. A few years later I was contacted by Joe Garrera, currently Exec. Dir. of the Lehigh Valley Hist Soc. and Museum in Allention, who expressed an interest in the flag. Joe went on to do extensive research on the flag and its provenance and published a 100 plus book covering most every detail of the flag. Joe became director of the Pike Co Hist Soc and featured the flag. Joe took it to a new level. The rest is history. The flag has achieved a special place in Lincoln Lore. I can say that my research has identified 6 flags that I believe were in the box including the Milford Flag. The provenance for most is pretty solid. I do not think the Milford Flag was displayed - rather it was left folded in a corner of the box. When Harry Ford set out to collect flags to decorate the box he wound up with six. Needing only five, he left the sixth, the Milford Flag in the corner. That is purely my conjecture. I can say with fair certainty that it was not displayed. Whether it cradled the president's head is another story. Sorry for the long entry but I thought some of you might find it interesting. Congratulations to Roger Norton. He is a first class individual who I have enjoyed knowing for many years. Ed Steers