NYS Battle Flag Preservation Project

N.Y.S. Battle Flag Preservation Project

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When we had finished visiting the area where the battleflags are conserved, Sarah took me on a tour of the rest of the facility. When I went up there, I had no idea that the facility served not only the state's battleflags, but numerous other items from around New York State. From lamps to hats, textile wall coverings to paintings and large old wood frames for famous paintings, many items are being taken care of at the Peebles Island facility.

Peebles Island Resource Center serves the historic sites of New York State, such as General Grant's Cottage (please be sure to see the story and photographs on my visit to General Grant's Cottage elsewhere on this website) and the Battle Flag Preservation Project, which is a partnership between OPRHP and DMNA.

One of the conservators I was introduced to was Heidi Miksch who showed me a few things she was working on, one being a silver sword that had belonged to John Jay, another being an old Barge Canal navigation lantern. During my conversation with Heidi, I found out she was one of several conservators who had traveled to Gettysburg several years ago to provide conservation treatment to the N.Y.V. 42nd Infantry, Tammany Regiment monument (right).

Sarah took me to another large room where the famous 'Dont Give Up The Ship' flag, from the War of 1812, was layed out on a large table undergoing conservation treatment. Unfortunately, when we left the battleflag conservation area I had left my camera equipment there as I did not expect to find much else to be interested in ... 'big' mistake ... so I did not get a photo of this famous flag. The flag has been at the Peebles Island facility since the end of September, and when completed, will be delivered back to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD.

The Peebles Island Resource Center hosts an 'Open House' the Saturday after Mother's Day in May. For more information, call (518) 237-8643.

In addition to the Open House, people can make appointments to see flags. If you want to know what flags have been conserved thus far, and/or are interested in viewing a conserved flag, please contact the Project's Curator, Christopher Morton, at (518) 581-5107, or you can email him at Christopher.Morton@ny.ngb.army.mil .

The work that Sarah and the other conservators do is time consuming, and costly. However, if not for this project and the people carrying it through, these New York State and national treasures would all soon be gone forever. If you wish to donate, either as a private individual or a corporation/business, your check should be made out to "The Natural Heritage Trust - DMNA Flag Project", and sent to:

Director, Natural Heritage Trust
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Agency Building I
Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12238

*Much appreciation goes to Chris and Sarah for making my
visit possible, and for their editorial assistance with this story.

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