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The state seal of Mississippi. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

20-star U.S. flag to be restored for Miss. bicentennial

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf

The state seal of Mississippi. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The state seal of Mississippi. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – An effort is under way to raise $50,000 to preserve a historic U.S. flag that marked Mississippi’s entrance into the nation.

Officials with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History say the flag flew over the young country only in 1818, the year after Mississippi became the 20th state.

MDAH officials say the rare 20-star flag is one of only a handful known to exist.

Officials say the flag was discovered in an antique shop in Massachusetts and acquired by MDAH in 2001. The flag was owned by a Captain Weston of Marshfield, Mass., and flew on one of his ships.

Once restored, the flag will travel for Mississippi’s bicentennial celebration and the opening of the new Museum of Mississippi History, where it will be on permanent display.

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AP-WF-08-02-11 0804GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

The state seal of Mississippi. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The state seal of Mississippi. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.