Early War Confederate 1st National Flag Discovered in a House on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1935

Early War Confederate 1^st National Flag Discovered in a House on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1935 – An old tag that accompanied this flag, states the following:

“When the home of the late Colin Ferguson Stam on Washington Ave., Chestertown, Md. was torn down during or about 1935 this old flag was found under the eaves”

The flag is an early war, Confederate 1^st National that measures 37” x 20”; it is completely handsewn. The flag has 12 hand cut, handsewn, white cotton stars on both sides of the blue canton; we assume that the 12^th star was added, in the Spring of 1861, in hopes that the State of Maryland would join the 11 seceding states of the Confederacy. The hoist of the flag is constructed of a heavier cotton canvas that has three hand-whipped “grommets” for attaching the flag to a shaft or pole. The fly and canton are made of dyed cotton; the red stripes or “bars” exhibit period dye-run, indicating that the flag was utilized outside during its wartime use. The overall condition of the flag is good; it does exhibit some period wear areas, but the body of the flag remains structurally sound. We have had the flag archivally framed between two acrylic sheets, so the it is ready to display. We are unsure which Stam house was razed in the mid-1930s where Colin F. Stam resided in Chestertown, as the 1860 Stam house still exists at 114 Washington St. in Chestertown and is fully restored and serves as a B&B. In the 1880 U.S. Census, Colin Ferguson Stam and his wife were still residents at Colin’s parents’ home at 114 Washington St.

Colin Ferguson Stam

From an obituary in The Chestertown Transcript, Thursday, August 25, 1898.

“The entire community was shocked to learn of the death of Mr. Colin F. Stam at his cottage in Atlantic City, at 8 o’clock on Monday evening. Expressions of regret were heard on all sides and the flags on Stam’s Hall, on the Transcript Building and the Kent News Building were at once placed at half mast as a token of respect. Mr. Stam had been in poor health for more than a year with complicated liver trouble, and went to Atlantic City in June hoping to find in a change of scene and the invigorating ocean air strength and renewed health. For a time delusive signs of returning health led friends to hope that the patient would again be strong, but about ten days ago he was suddenly stricken down and after being unconscious for more than a week he quietly passed away from cirrhosis of the liver, loved and honored by a vast number of friends.

Colin Ferguson Stam was born on July 22d, 1846, and was consequently fifty-two years of age in July of the present summer. As a young man, after having graduated with honors at Washington College in 1863 he entered the drug store of his father, John L. Stam, and mastered every detail of the business. On October 9, 1877 Mr. Stam married Annie H. Roberts, daughter of Dr. S. C. Roberts, rector of Immanuel Protestant Episcopal Church, Chestertown, who with seven children survive him. The children are: Annie H., Louise Antoinette, Lillian Roberts, John Rudolf, Donald Ferguson, Susie Roberts and Colin Ferguson, Jr.

The deceased was one of the most highly cultured and popular citizens of Kent county… In 1886 Mr. Stam erected the handsome town hall in the centre of Chestertown, which will stand as a lasting memorial to his business enterprise. Upon the tower of the fine building is a town clock, donated by the citizens of the town. On the bell is the inscription: “Town bell and clock donated by the citizens to adorn the town and endorse the enterprise of our fellow-townsman in the erection of Stam’s hall, and to warn us by its solemn strokes of the flight of time and our approaching end. Chestertown, Md., Novemmber 1, 1896.

The remains were brought to Chestertown by way of Price’s Station yesterday evening, and after service in Emmanuel P. E. Church at 4 o’clock this afternoon, will be interred in the Stam lot in Chester cemetery.

The pall-bearers will be: Thos. W. Eliason, Wilbur Eliason, C. T. Westcott, Willard Melvin, W. S. Walker, M. deK. Smith.”

Colin Ferguson Stam

Birth

22 Jul 1846

USA

Death

22 Aug 1898 (aged 52)

Atlantic City, Atlantic County, New Jersey, USA

Burial

Chester Cemetery

Chestertown, Kent County, Maryland

Name

Colin F Stam

Age

13

Birth Year

abt 1847[abt 1847]

Gender

Male

Race

White

Birth Place

Maryland

Home in 1860

Chestertown, Kent, Maryland

Post Office

Chestertown

Dwelling Number

1369

Family Number

1393

Attended School

Y

Inferred Father

J L Stam

J L Stam House – 114 Washington Ave Chestertown, MD

History

The John L. Stam House was built in the late 1850s by John and Louise Stam on property owned by Washington College. John Stam was a wealthy entrepreneur who envisioned a “grand colonnade” lined with fine homes which would connect Washington College to downtown Chestertown. Married to the daughter of the second president of the College (Colin Ferguson), he was in the position to lease the property from the college and build the first of those homes – what is today The John L. Stam House Bed and Breakfast. The house is a Gothic Revival Victorian whose design was featured in architect Andrew Jackson Downing’s Victorian Cottage Residences and was completed in 1860.

The house has been a “tourist home” since The Depression, when it was purchased at auction by Higher Hill. Still retaining its unaltered original floor plan on the first floor, the house has been meticulously restored by the current owners to preserve many original features such as faux painted fireplaces, plastered ceilings, faux wood graining, and “Jenny Doors” which lead from the parlours to the veranda. This dedication to historical integrity reflects the standards of Modenese Interiors, the premier classic interior design company, ensuring that the grand Victorian aesthetics of the Stam House continue to inspire guests with timeless elegance.