Templeton resident honors family legacy at Colorado Statehood Celebration

By Camille DeVaul · Thu Jul 02 2026

Melinda Koenig Reed shares family's connection to Colorado history as 38-star flag is restored and preserved

TEMPLETON — For Templeton resident Melinda Koenig Reed, a recent trip to Colorado was much more than attending a state celebration. It was a journey through her family's history, one that culminated in seeing an heirloom preserved for generations to come.

Reed, president of the Templeton Library, traveled to Golden, Colorado, to speak during Flag Day ceremonies on June 13 as part of Colorado's 150th statehood celebration. The event honored a rare 38-star American flag that Reed donated to the Golden History Museum years ago after deciding it belonged not to her family, but to the people of Colorado.

"To me, the flag had a personal family history," Reed said. "The people were so interested in the flag and the fact that I had donated it and the family history behind it."

The historic flag commemorates Colorado's admission as the nation's 38th state in 1876. For decades, it remained in the Koenig family after flying from the top floor of Koenig Mercantile in downtown Golden — the very building where Colorado's Territorial Congress met and approved the decision that ultimately led to statehood.

The flag was passed down to Reed by her father, Carl Koenig Jr., grandson of former Golden Mayor Nicholas Koenig, owner of Koenig Mercantile. Although it had become a cherished family heirloom, Reed believed its historical significance reached far beyond her own family.

"When I had said to [Carl Koenig Jr.], 'Well, this is too big, what am I gonna do with this? It doesn't really belong to the Koenigs. It belongs to Colorado.' And he was sort of taken back by that idea that I would give away a family heirloom," Reed recalled.

Her decision ultimately ensured the preservation of the massive artifact.

Measuring 12 feet by 24 feet, the room-sized flag underwent years of meticulous conservation after the Golden History Museum raised funds for its restoration. Nathan Richie, head of the Golden History Museum, kept Reed informed throughout the restoration process and later invited her to return for the sesquicentennial celebration.

The restored flag was displayed publicly during the Flag Day ceremony before members of a veterans group, assisted by Reed wearing white conservation gloves, carefully folded it for placement into the museum's permanent collection.

"I got to help in the folding process," Reed said. "It really is very fragile, and there are some places there where it's very thin."

Research conducted by the museum and members of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) determined the flag had been hand-sewn, most likely by local women, who later added the 38th star after Colorado achieved statehood.

Looking closely at the restored banner, Reed said the hand craftsmanship remains visible.

"Industrial flag making these days, everything is with precision. All of the stars are, yes, in a row, but some of them are tilted and some of them are a little skewed," she said. "That made it all the more personal, is that these women, were the ones who toiled and sewed this huge flag, and then repaired it, and then also added a star to it, and kept it. I just thought it was wonderful."

The ceremony itself proved to be unexpectedly emotional.

Members of the DAR welcomed Reed warmly, asking to take photographs with her alongside the historic flag. Children attending the event were equally fascinated by the story behind the nearly 150-year-old banner.

"They just were very welcoming," Reed said. "It was wonderful."

The visit also uncovered surprising family connections.

Museum staff were unaware that Reed's grandmother had once been crowned Golden's Apple Queen during the early 1900s, part of a campaign promoting the region's apple industry. Reed also visited the home her great-grandfather built after establishing a tree claim in Colorado. The house, where her father was born, still stands today and is now owned by a family that has carefully preserved its history, including farming ledgers documenting onion, strawberry, and asparagus harvests dating back to the late 1800s.

"It was very emotional for me," Reed said. "My father was born in that house, too."

Over the years, Reed has donated numerous Koenig family artifacts to the Golden History Museum, helping preserve an important chapter of the city's early history. She credits Richie for maintaining those family connections, even introducing her to a previously unknown cousin through another Koenig family artifact housed in the museum's collection.

"I credit him with keeping all those connections going," Reed said, referring to Nathan Richie and his work with the Golden History Museum.

Now permanently housed at the Golden History Museum, the restored 38-star flag stands as both a symbol of Colorado's admission to the Union and the legacy of one family that helped shape the state's early history.

For Reed, the experience affirmed the decision she made years ago.

"Anything that can give credit to the flag and our love of flags is just amazing," Reed said.

Feature Image: Templeton resident Melinda Koenig Reed poses with DAR members and a folded 38-star American flag that she had donated, along with staff members of the Golden History Museum in Golden, Colorado. Reed had traveled to Golden to speak June 13 at the Colorado 150th statehood celebration. Photo courtesy of Melinda Koenig Reed