Historical Society Preserves Flags Telling North Dakota, U.S. History

(Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – Every item held by the Historical Society of North Dakota for display at the state Heritage Center has a story, including hundreds of flags that historians and conservators go to great lengths to protect.

“You can get a huge sense of pride from flags and they symbolize what you believe, but also symbolize what organizations you are a part of,” said Lori Nohner, research historian for the State Historical Society of North Dakota. “You can learn a lot from the histories of flags.”

Nohner said the Historical Society has about 340 flags in the collection, which includes about 150 military flags and pennants from different service units with North Dakota ties.

Sen. Dick Dever, R-Bismarck, commander of the Bismarck-area AMVETS, said the beginning of the Pledge of Allegiance is to the flag, but also to the republic “for which it stands.”