The 21st Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment Civil War Battle Flag is returning to the Ionia County Courthouse
The legacy of the 21st
The historic battle flag carried by the 21st Michigan Infantry Regiment during the Civil War is returning to Ionia County after an extensive preservation and restoration process. Originally sewn and presented in 1862 by the “Ladies of Ionia,” the silk banner accompanied local soldiers through multiple battles before being returned home on July 4, 1865.
After hanging in the Ionia County Courthouse for more than 159 years, the flag had begun to show significant aging and needed specialized conservation. Eric Calley and Shane Houghton, launched a multi-year effort to raise the funding required for restoration, ensuring the flag could be stabilized and preserved for future generations.
The restored flag now stands as a powerful reminder of the region’s Civil War history, the sacrifice of the soldiers who carried it, and the community that first stitched it together more than a century and a half ago.