Kansas Museum of History awarded large grant to restore Civil War era flags

KANSAS (KSNT) – The Kansas Historical Society has been awarded a large grant from the National Park Service’s Save America’s Treasures program to restore historic Civil War-era battle flags, according to a press release.

The Kansas Museum of History and the Kansas Save the Flags Project were awarded a $37,000 grant to restore two national battle flags used by the 8th Kansas Volunteer Infantry used in the Civil War. These flags flew in the early history of the infantry division, and having been carried into battles like: The Battle of Kentucky, Chickamauga, Georgia and the Sieges of Chattanooga, Nashville and Franklin.

“The grant-funded project will conserve two Civil War national battle flags carried by the Eighth Kansas now housed in the collection of the Kansas Museum of History. These flags, revered symbols of Kansas’ contributions to the Union cause, bear the scars of war, including bullet holes, stains, and fabric damage.”
from the Kansas Historical Society press release

“We owe it to them (Civil War veterans) to save these pieces,” Dodson said. “The last veterans of the war are flags, they were there. Many of these flags were on display immediately after the Civil War all the way through the 1970s. Over 100 years of exposure to light makes them extremely brittle, so much so that parts would disintegrate if I touched them.”

The Save America’s Treasures grant program was established in 1998 to celebrate the country’s premier cultural resources. This program has awarded over $300 million across 1,300 grants in the hopes that our nationally significant properties and collections can be preserved for future generations.

Other local recipients of the grant program include Constitution Hall in Topeka, the Chase County Courthouse and the Old Lawrence City Library.

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