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# Reed’s Civil War Flag Flies Again, Stumps the Neighborhood
- URL: https://www.thestreatorstandard.com/f/reeds-civil-war-flag-flies-again-stumps-the-neighborhood/
- Published: 2025-05-28T22:44:26.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-19T13:59:11.000Z
- Author: The Streator Standard
- Tags: Community

STREATOR, IL — Every Memorial Day, Councilman David Reed raises a flag that turns heads, starts conversations, and occasionally causes mild panic in the hearts of the historically uninformed. It has 34 stars, no marketing campaign, and zero connection to a political movement — unless you count Abraham Lincoln’s presidency.

“I’ve waited almost a full year to display my 34 star Civil War flag,” Reed wrote in a Facebook post. “As is tradition it will fly at half staff from Sun up until noon tomorrow, then go to full staff until sundown. Then back to storage until next Memorial Day. Maybe I’ll get it out on July 12 in honor of Sgt George Poundstone.”

While Reed’s intentions are patriotic and rooted in tradition, not every passerby got the memo.

“I thought maybe the city had lost 16 states overnight,” said Linda M., who stopped walking her dog just to count the stars twice. “And for a second, I thought he was protesting the current flag. Turns out he’s just smarter than the rest of us.”

Neighbor Ed R. was equally perplexed. “I was gonna knock on his door and ask if he needed help reattaching the missing stars. Then I remembered—this is David Reed we’re talking about. If he put it up, there’s a footnote and a museum exhibit behind it.”

The 34-star flag was used from 1861 to 1863, after Kansas joined the Union and before West Virginia became a state. It was the first American flag flown under Lincoln — and yes, it’s authentic to the early years of the Civil War, not something Reed found in a novelty catalog next to retro Pepsi signs.

“I looked it up after seeing it last year,” admitted Tony B., a local history convert. “Now I wait for it like some folks wait for Groundhog Day.”

Still, the annual tradition has its critics. One teen reportedly asked, “Did we lose a war or something?” while another theorized it might be a retro graphic for a new show on Paramount+.

But Reed doesn’t mind the confusion. If anything, it’s part of the point.

It’s history — on a pole, in your neighborhood — and for at least one day a year, it reminds the town that patriotism can be quiet, factual, and flown at half-staff until noon.

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Follow the Streator Standard for more stories on porch-based traditions, misunderstood symbolism, and the councilman keeping Memorial Day weird — and accurate.