Medallion pattern flags
of the American Centennial period represent the pinnacle
of fancy design for American flags. The Centennial
celebration of 1876 represented a patriotic fervor and
new national pride that followed the pain and
reconciliation of the Civil War and Reconstruction Era.
This wonderful homemade flag was made in Fairfield
County, Ohio. The flag's 38 stars explode like a
firework on the canton. There are many rare
characteristics for this particular flag, such as the
flag's large center star, the presence of three sizes of
stars in a medallion, the presence of four corner stars,
and the attractive outer ring of large stars nestled
together, surrounding five small inner stars, one at
each of thethe tips of the large center star. One can
only imagine women and their families gathering at the
county fair or at local the town 4th of July
celebration, each bringing their own homemade flags, one
more spectacular than the other, each trying to outdo
each other in the extravagance and uniqueness of their
family flag's design. Such were the circumstances
that led Americans to produce flags like this beautiful
example, with its fanciful and wonderfully radiant
medallion pattern.
The family history of
this flag is that it descended in the family of
Willoughby Boyer, who settled in Ohio in the mid-1850s.
The Boyer farm passed from Willabe Boyer to Charles &
Millie Boyer, then to May E. Boyer Fisher, and finally
to Lois Ann Boyer Kull. The estate of Lois Kull,
which included this flag and other property from the old
Boyer farm house in Fairfield County, Canal Winchester,
Ohio, was sold by her son Robert Kull. Whether the
flag was made in Willoughby's generation or in the
generation of Charles and Millie Boyer requires more
research, but it's possible the flag was sewn by Millie.
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