It's a grand old old old old old flag

by folkbum

This is pretty cool:

A recent fire in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School, 3275 N. 3rd St., turned up an unusual relic - an American flag dating from 1897.

The 45-star flag was discovered in the attic of the school that was built in 1894 and for a time known as Victor L. Berger School. The flag, with some tears and other signs of wear, was discovered after lightning hit the school's steeple and ignited a fire.

One of the advantages of the public schools is the long, storied history many of its buildings have. That history also means bad heat, bad plumbing, poor accessibility, and other problems, but, hey, every once in a while we find a flag or a painting or a WPA mural or something.

Also: How come we don't name schools after socialists anymore? Where's the Frank Zeidler Academy? The Daniel Hoan School? Come on, Milwaukee!