38 Star G.A.R. Meade Post #1 Flag, Phila. PA.

38 Star Grand Army of the Republic Flag, Gen Meade Post No. 1, Philadelphia, PA, 1870's
This 38 star wool United States flag, marked "GAR 1" was flown by the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Meade Post #1 at their Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA headquarters. The Meade Post #1 was the first accredited GAR Post in Pennsylvania. It was founded at the Union League of Philadelphia by prominent Civil War veterans of Philadelphia in October 1866.

Meade Post garnered the recognition of being the first post in Pennsylvania on October 16th 1866. Their rivals at Post #2 were offended at its own charter date of October 17th . The rival GAR Posts tried to take on the most prominent veterans they could, and both had attractive post halls and first-rate programs for their members. But Post #2 members began to feel that they would lose status to the more socially prominent Post #1.

Post #2 tried to name itself after General George Gordon Meade, who was perhaps the most distinguished Civil War General from Philadelphia. But again, Post #1 outdid them by enrolling the president of the Unites States, General Ulysses S. Grant.

Post #1 had close ties with the Union League. The Union League Hall served as their initial venue, but later the Post moved to a new home on Chestnut St. and later purchased the Concert Hall for use as the Meade Post #1.

The Union League of Philadelphia, where the Meade Post # 1 first assembled, was founded in 1862 as a patriotic society to support the Union and the policies of President Abraham Lincoln. It set the philosophical tone of other Union Leagues in the US during the Civil War. After the war, Philadelphia became a hub for veterans' organizations, such as the Loyal Legion and the Grand Army. These veterans' groups were active in initiatives for the widows, orphans, memorial to the fallen, and pensions for wounded and debilitated veterans.

In the end the rivalry went to Post # 2, when in 1918 membership aged had dwindled at Post #1, and most of its members were immersed in Post #2. In 1926, the aging veterans of the combined membership of the two posts incorporated in Pennsylvania as the "Philadelphia Camp Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War." Their descendants were designated governing members. Later, the Board of Directors decided to use the name "G.A.R. Civil War Museum and Library." They are dedicated to preserving the heritage and history of the Civil War, and they offer educational programs, exhibits, and forums that promote a better understanding of American history.

This flag is typical of large institutional flags utilized by fraternal patriotic organizations in the halls for meetings and social events.

Provenance:
• Grand Army of the Republic Flag, Gen Meade Post No. 1, Philadelphia, PA, 1870's
• Acquired by Richard H. Keller who sold it to the Crow Art Partnership Collection, 1985.
• Acquired at auction from the Crow Art Partnership Collection, Dallas, Texas, via Heritage Auction Inc., at the 24 June 2007, Civil War Grand Format Auction, in Gettysburg, PA.

ZFC Significant Flag

Sources:

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A Brief History of the Grand Army of the Republic, Grand Army of the Republic Museum and Library, 12 November 2011, from:
http://garmuslib.org/

Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), Wikipedia 12 November 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Army_of_the_Republic

Madaus, Howard M.- Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict, VZ Publications, Santa Cruz, 2006.

Mastai, Boleslaw and Marie-Louise D'Otrange, The Stars and The Stripes: The American Flag as Art and as History from the Birth of the republic to the Present, Knopf, New York, 1973.

Waskie, Andy, email, RE: GAR flag, 19 September 2007, Zaricor Flag Collection Archive
Waskie, Andy, August 2007, Civil War Philadelphia. 7 December 2011, from:
http://www.civilwarnews.com/preservation/pres_waskie.htm

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
Heritage Auction Galleries

Hoist & Fly
Width of Hoist	60
Length of Fly	124

Union/Canton
Width of Union/Canton	35
Length of Union/Canton	58

Stars
Comments on Star Measurements	38 - Five point stars in 8-7-8-7-8-7 horizontal rows.
Size of Stars	3

Stripes
Width of 1st Stripe	4.5
Width of 3rd Stripe	4.5
Width of 8th Stripe	5
Width of Last Stripe	5
Size of Hoist	2

Frame
Is it framed?	no

Stars
Number of Stars	38
How are the stars embeded?	Sewn
Are there stars on obverse?	yes
Are there stars on reverse?	yes
Star Pattern	38 - Five point stars in 8-7-8-7-8-7 horizontal rows

Stripes
Number of Stripes	13
Color of Top Stripe	Red
Color of Bottom Stripe	Red
Has a Blood Stripe?	no

Nationality
Nation Represented	United States

Fabric
Fabric	Wool
Comments on Fabric	Bunting

Stitching
Stitching	Machine

Weave
Type of Weave	Plain

Attachment
Comments on Method of Attachmen	Rope through header
Method of Attachment	Roped-header

Applica
Applique Sides	Single Faced = Mirror Image Reverse

Documentation
Documents	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Drawings	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Research Documents	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Public Copy & Signs	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.

Condition
Condition	Good
Damage	Flag is used and worn.
Displayable	yes

Date
Date	1876