A great deal of confusion exists over the different

  “Stars and Stripes” flags on display in Newmilns.

  Mr. Ian Pollock, Director of Haddow Aird & Crerer.
  Sets the record straight.

  MYSTERY OF THE MISSING HISTORIC FLAG

During the American Civil War (1861-1865) the people of Newmilns formed an anti slavery committee which sent letters of support to Abraham Lincoln.
This was remarkable considering the weavers of the town relied on cotton from the Southern States and their ports were being blockaded by the North. In recognition, Lincoln sent an American Flag to the committee sometime in the summer of 1864.
The flag was delivered by Mr. John Brooks, and entrusted to John Donald of Newmilns for safe keeping.
Over the years the flag was lost; its last public appearance was in 1884 during “reform” demonstrations in Kilmarnock.
On May the 29th 1949, Mr. Dayle C. McDonough, US Consul General, presented a replacement Flag to R. M. Paterson, chairman of the Newmilns Civil Week Committee.
During his speech, Mr. McDonough made reference to the original flag, describing it as having13 stripes and 36 stars, the number of states in the union at that time.
The flag presented in 1949 is now in Loudoun Church, Newmilns.
The relationship between Newmilns and the United States was reinforced when Lieutenant Steven Lowry from the US Naval Base at the Holy Loch, presented the Newmilns Quincentenary Committee with a US Carrier Flag during the festival of remembrance on Saturday, November 10th 1990.
The flag now hangs in the Town House at the Cross in Newmilns.
This article was first published in the Valley Advertiser,
Issue number 309 springs 2008