LOUISIANA, Mo. — The Louisiana Area Historical Museum has been missing a companion for one of its signature Civil War exhibits, but that’s about to change.

The museum at 304 Georgia Street will unveil an authentic Union flag to go with a restored First Flag of the Confederacy when the facility opens for its regular Saturday hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 3. The large banner is a gift from the family of Dr. Edward Glenn, a museum board member.

“We are very pleased to receive this authentic and unique Union flag, and we appreciate this significant donation by the Glenn family that adds so much to our Civil War exhibits,” said Museum President Judy Schmidt.

“This flag was in our family’s collection of Civil War artifacts,” Glenn added. “It was part of my mother’s estate and was taken to Virginia by my sister.”

One of the features that makes the standard extraordinary is…well, Schmidt would rather wait until the unveiling to offer details, but suffice to say the flag’s origin is pretty remarkable and can be pinpointed by the number of stars that appear on it.

In preparation for shipping to Glenn in Louisiana, the banner was folded in acid-free packing and sealed by conservators from Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. Restoration work began in February. Schmidt and her husband, Carl, and Glenn and his wife, Pat, took it for framing to Creative Art Services in St. Louis.

A linen fabric was selected as a backing to enhance the natural colors. The ensign was spread out on the linen and fold lines were carefully ironed out by the company before being hand-sewn every two inches to the backing. All work had to be reversible without impacting the condition of the material. Wood for the frame is old pine, which came from salvaged floor joists at an 1850s St. Louis area home.

The Union colors will be mounted next to a First Flag of the Confederacy that has been on display at the museum since 2016. It was donated by former Louisiana resident Dan Strode of New London, who bought it from a descendant of Pike County Confederate soldier Samuel Minor. Creative Art Services also did restoration work on it.

Schmidt said the Union flag’s addition will only enhance the cultural and educational experience of visitors.

“The Louisiana Area Historical Museum is primarily an ‘artifact’ museum, displaying Missouri’s history through our pioneers’ tools, household items, clothing, educational books, governmental changes and even our conflicts,” Schmidt said. “It is important that we study the past artifacts to improve our way of living, and to study those past conflicts to avoid the tragedies they cause.”

Museum admission is always free, but donations are always accepted. The unveiling of another exhibit is tentatively being planned for Aug. 7 to coincide with Missouri’s bicentennial celebration on Aug. 10.