Veterans secure final funds for Ionia Civil War battle flag restoration
IONIA — Local veterans have secured the remaining funds necessary to preserve a historic Civil War battle flag, until recently on display at the Ionia County Courthouse.
Eric Calley, commander of the Muir-Lyons VFW, and Shane Houghton, quartermaster of the Ionia VFW, presented a check of roughly $30,000 to the Ionia County Board of Commissioners recently.
“We want to thank the commissioners, the county and all the people who have contributed to the fundraisers,” Houghton said.
Commissioners voted 6-0 to authorize the restoration of the Battle Honors banner that accompanies the 21st Michigan Regiment Battle Flag. The banner wasn’t considered in the original scope of work, according to Ionia County Administrator Patrick Jordan.
The banner was preserved along with the flag in the 1960s and is in similar condition, according to Jordan. The estimated cost to restore the banner is $8,622.
A special ceremony to respectfully remove the flag from the courthouse took place April 2. The flag and banner will be restored at a preservation company in West Virginia, then returned.
The flag has been on display for nearly 160 years at the courthouse. The state's Save the Flags Program approached Ionia County in early 2023 and offered to preserve the piece at the Michigan History Museum in Lansing. Houghton and Calley spent eight months raising funds to preserve and retain the piece in Ionia.
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Calley and Houghton will travel to West Virginia in 12-14 months to bring the restored flag back. They're planning a “welcome home” party.
According to state historians, the Union's 21st Infantry Regiment went to war in September 1862 with 2,423 soldiers. Four flags from the regiment are in Lansing — the fifth is in Ionia. There were 377 soldiers in the regiment who died in the war.
The silk flag was hand-embroidered and gifted by the “Ladies of Ionia.” It played a role in Sherman’s March to the Sea through Kentucky, Georgia and North Carolina.
A replica flag is currently hanging at the Ionia County Courthouse. There are also replica flags at the Ionia VFW and the Wall of Honor at Ionia High School. The latter was donated by Ionia County District Four Commissioner Phil Hesche.
— Contact reporter Evan Sasiela at esasiela@sentinel-standard.com. Follow him on Twitter @SalsaEvan.
This article originally appeared on Ionia Sentinel-Standard: Veterans secure final funds for Ionia Civil War battle flag restoration