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 The Middletown Flag was hand sewn by the ladies of Middletown, IL
to show their support for Abraham Lincoln during the Wide Awake
Rally in Springfield.
“This flag represents a strong voice for women when they did not
have a voice at the ballot box,” said Anne Moseley, Assistant
Director of the Lincoln Heritage Museum. “Not only did the flag
represent their support for Lincoln, but it was a creative way to
communicate to the men in their lives who they wanted to show
support for when it was not publicly acceptable for women to talk
about politics.”
Once the flag was completed in 1860, William Boyer of Middletown
took the flag to the Wide Awake rally in Springfield. Afterwards it
was rolled up and placed in a barn at the fairgrounds. When Lincoln
arrived at the fairgrounds, supporters draped the flag over
Lincoln’s shoulders as he sat on the seat of a buggy.
 This flag is an important piece in Logan County’s history.
“We are honored to have this unique item in our collection that
shows a direct tie between Abraham Lincoln and our local community,”
said Tom McLaughlin, Director of the Lincoln Heritage Museum. “It is
our hope that our efforts to restore this important piece of our
local history will encourage those whose family members may have
taken part in the creation of this flag to come forward and share
their story.”
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The Middletown Flag is part of a three banner series from the Wide
Awake Supporters of Logan County. The Lincoln Heritage Museum
proudly houses the entire collection including the Railsplitter
Banner, The Nation’s Choice Banner, and the Middletown Flag.
Once the flag is fully restored, the entire collection will be completed. Bill
Lear, Curator and Alex Dixon, Conservator with the Illinois State Military
Museum examined the flag and made recommendations for the full restoration of
the flag.
Lear said, “The Middletown flag is truly a gem and has a wonderful story to
tell. We are very excited to see it when it is completed.”
The Lincoln Heritage Museum acquired the flag in 1993 from Ralph Newman.
The museum is accepting donations to help fund the completion of the restoration
project in anticipation of publicly displaying the flag in 2020 on its 170th
Anniversary.
[Christina Xamis, Lincoln College]
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