| Photos by Nadine Cloutier, Phil MacBride and Emma Winegarner |
The Hartland Area Historical Society held a successful fund raising event, "The Old Glory Gala"on Friday evening, February 15, 2008 at Waldenwoods Resort and Conference Center in Hartland. The slide show above is a sampling of the evening's festivies.
The fund raiser was called the "Old Glory Gala" in honor of our 36 star flag. The flag had been nailed to the wall gathering dust. In 1991 it was removed. After it was reviewed by a textile expert in October 1991 the intent was to have it mounted on a better backing material to stabilize the fabric from further deterioration. Local area quilt groups were contacted and there were several debates on how to quilt the flag. Finally, in March 1992, one quilter volunteered. Then through a series of events the flag was forgotten. The flag ended up rolled in a sheet under the bed of the quilter. A few years went by, the quilter passed away, and the flag was eventually returned to the museum in 1996 in the same condition as when it left.
In 2003, the Historical Society learned that a textile conservator from the American Textile History Museum, located in Lowell, Massachusetts, was coming to Michigan State University Museum to review items located in their textile department. Our flag was taken to Lansing and an examination was made. The Historical Society received a treatment proposal, conservation estimate and a quote on display options. The cost estimates proposed in the core treatment and display techniques were staggering. The Historical Society understands that we have a very precious artifact that needs to be conserved and displayed appropriately in a proper environment - the museum.
The flag is currently in storage while the Society continues to raise funds toward the preservation of the flag and the building.