American flag that covered [President Lincoln's] casket during the funeral train tour

[David Lockmiller]

The New York Times reports today:

"[A]n 8-foot-long, 37-star American flag covered [President Lincoln's] casket during the funeral train tour after his assassination in 1865.

Millions of mourners turned out to pay their respects as the train made its way from Washington, D.C., to Springfield, Ill., where Lincoln was interred. Afterward, Maj. Lewis Applegate, an Army doctor, took possession of the flag.

The Applegate lineage kept it for more than a century, and it was eventually turned over to the Museum of Southern History in Florida. In 2024, the flag was put up for sale at a Guernsey’s auction. Tilman Fertitta, the Texas billionaire and owner of Keens, pounced, buying it for a reported $656,250."

Julia Lisowski, the steakhouse’s general manager, stood beside the curtain and faced the guests. “We are thrilled you are able to join us in the Lincoln Room as we confer the Abraham Lincoln Casket Flag of 1865 to its permanent home,” she said.

She recounted how it was made by the nation’s oldest flag maker, Annin & Company, noting that its 37th star existed in anticipation of Nebraska’s statehood. She told of a curator, Rhonda Hiser, who three years ago discovered the flag languishing behind a bookshelf at the Museum of Southern History.

She went on to thank Mr. Fertitta, the restaurateur and casino magnate who bought Keens two years ago, adding it to a portfolio that includes Rainforest Cafe and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Mr. Fertitta, who was not present for the party, also owns the Houston Rockets basketball franchise and serves as the United States ambassador to Italy and San Marino.

Finally, when the curtain was pulled back, the crowd cheered as the majestic hand-sewn flag was revealed. Along its hoist was Major Applegate’s signature and a marking indicating the date of Lincoln’s assassination.