A 19th-century flag confuses the management of an Illinois museum and leads to a state investigation

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is once again in the spotlight after a manager failed to consult a collections committee before purchasing a 21-star flag whose description as a rare banner commemorating Illinois’ entry into the Union in 1818 has drawn controversy.

The acquisition of the flag through an online auction for more than $15,000 sparked an investigation by the Illinois State Office of the Executive Inspector General into the funds used to make the purchase. The purchase also sparked disagreement among the Springfield Museum’s leadership and may have been the reason for the firing of an employee who said the purchase violated regulations.

The flag measures 7.5 by 6.5 feet and is called the “Grand Luminary” because its 21 stars are arranged in a star shape. The museum believes it represents Illinois’ admission as the 21st state, said spokesman Christopher Wills.

Such flags are rare because the design was changed a year later when Alabama and Maine joined the Union.

But Jeff Bridgman, a respected vexillologist, or flag expert, told the Associated Press that its construction and materials suggest the flag was made decades later, during the Civil War, and that it may have been a Confederate exclusion flag, with stars representing states that remained loyal to the Union.

Bridgman, who owns a collection of about 3,000 flags, mostly from the 19th century, says the flag does not date from 1818.

“If that were the case,” he said, “I would have gone after him at the auction.”

This is not the first possible blow to the museum’s credibility.

The purchase of a purported $6.5 million Lincoln pride cane hat went awry when evidence linking it to the 16th president was questioned. A director was fired in 2019 for sending, without authorization, a copy of Lincoln’s handwritten Gettysburg Address to an exhibit in Texas run by conservative political commentator Glenn Beck.

The museum’s acquisitions director, Ian Hunt, submitted a request to the executive director on Nov. 6 to purchase the 21-star flag, according to documents provided to the AP through a public records request.

The flag was part of the prestigious Zaricor Flag Collection. Hunt won the auction on November 13, and the museum paid $15,625 for the flag from the King Hostick Trust Fund, a foundation that funds government historical research and artifact acquisition.

Museum policy requires that purchases over $2,000 be submitted in advance to a collections committee of department heads for review. The committee had not been meeting regularly due to a vacancy, but met on Dec. 7, three weeks after the purchase, to review the flag and voted 7-2 in favor.

Then-registrar Eldon Yeakel and research director Brian Mitchell voted no. Mitchell declined to comment to AP. Staff comments at the end of the document recording the vote include concerns about the flag’s authenticity and storage.

The committee vote would have been closer if the takeover had not already been decided, Yeakel said. The museum fired Yeakel on May 6, citing poor performance and rule violations, but he blamed his no vote for that. Wills declined to comment.

Yeakel said he told inspector general investigators that the flag purchase improperly circumvented the committee’s approval. They asked him if he knew of any fraud or abuse in the transaction and whether any funds from King Hostick had been tapped. He told them he knew of no fraud or abuse, nor any details about the Hostick funds or their intended use.

Two museum employees, one current and one former, told the AP that their complaints to the inspector sparked the investigation. They requested anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Neil Olson, general counsel for the inspector general, declined to comment on the investigation. The office has not released any findings.

If violations occur, the Office of the Inspector General may recommend corrective action, including disciplinary action or dismissal. The inspector may also initiate a criminal investigation or refer an investigation to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

Wills said the museum was unaware of any complaints to the inspector general, but was “clearly permitted” to use Hostick funds for the flag. He acknowledged that Hunt made a “misstep” by proceeding without the committee’s review, but noted that museum policy merely requires the committee’s “recommendation” for expensive purchases.

After the late Ben Zaricor purchased the flag in 1995, he had it examined by renowned vexillologist Howard Madaus. Madaus determined that the flag had been made entirely of cotton in 1818-20.

Bridgman considered Madaus, who died in 2007, a valued colleague and friend, but believed that Madaus was wrong on this point.

Although he has not personally examined the flag, Bridgman said high-resolution images show the blue canton is made of wool or a wool-blend fabric, typical of Civil War-era flags, and is worn in long, narrow holes.

“That doesn’t happen with cotton. That’s definitely the case with wool,” Bridgman said.

A 2003 report by respected conservator Fonda Thomsen found that at least parts of the flag were made of wool, but “the flag has not been sufficiently examined to draw any conclusions.”

Museum staff have not yet inspected the flag. It has been turned over to a conservation company for stabilization and cleaning to ensure its longevity. The estimated cost of conservation is $18,000.

The AP asked other vexillologists to examine photos of the flag and determine its age. Only one responded. Dave Martucci of Washington, Maine, said by email that he knew the flag and believed its “design, construction and size” point to 1818, not 1861.

Despite its history, Wills said the flag has “a solid provenance” and is a wise investment.

“We’re always open to learning more about it,” Wills said. “And if it turns out it’s from a different era with a different story, then so be it. We’re going to tell that story. And it just so happens that that story is a good one, too.”