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 provide 21-star flag whose description as a rare banner commemorating Illinois’ accession to the Union in 1818 is controversial.

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 an alleged Lincoln stovepipe hat worth $6.5 million went awry when Evidence linking it to the 16th President was interviewed. A director was fired in 2019 for sending, without permission, a copy of Lincoln’s handwritten Gettysburg Address to an exhibition in Texas run by conservative political commentator Glenn Beck.

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

The flag was part of the prestigious Zaricor Flag CollectionHunt won the auction on November 13 and the museum paid $15,625 for the flag with the King Hostick Trust Funda foundation to finance government historical research and the acquisition of artifacts.

Museum policy requires that purchases over $2,000 must be proposed in advance to a collections committee made up of department heads. The committee had not been meeting regularly due to a vacancy, but convened to inspect the flag on December 7, three weeks after the purchase, and voted 7 to 2 in favor.

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

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 determines the flag was made entirely of cotton in the years 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 Report 2003 Respected conservator Fonda Thomsen found that at least part of the flag is 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.”