It's a passionate pastime for thousands who want to safeguard the memories of men and women who served this country. Collecting these items also allows a way to remember America's rich history.

Collecting historical American flags is just one avenue that can bring joy and satisfaction to a collector. Most collectors invest in high quality reproductions, since finding an historic original is not only rare, but can run into the thousands of dollars.

Flag collectors will narrow their search and specialize in a specific period, collecting Revolutionary War flags or flags from the Civil War. Whatever a person chooses, they stand to learn a great deal about the nation's rich heritage.

At the Veterans Memorial Museum in Chehalis, hundreds of flags are displayed with soldier's items in beautiful cases: flags that were draped over coffins; flags flown above battleships; flags carried bravely into battle. But perhaps none is more moving than a simple flag depicting three stars: two blue, one gold.

"That one was found at a garage sale and given to us," said Chip Duncan, Veterans Memorial Museum assistant director.

Showing signs of wear, the World War I-era piece of cloth has a simple prayer written by a mother, asking God to spare her two remaining sons.

"The little handwritten prayer was pinned to the back of the flag," Duncan said. "That is all we know about it; that and the fact that the son she lost to the war was named Jesse."

The history on the American flag starts on Jan. 1, 1776, as American forces were placed under George Washington's control under the ‘Grand Union' flag. With 13 alternate red and white stripes, it sported the British Union Jack in the upper left-hand corner, known as the canton.

"It is far from my design to intimate an opinion, that Heraldry, Coat-Armor, might not be rendered conducive to public and private use with us; or that they can have any tendency unfriendly to the purest spirit of Republicanism. On the contrary, a different conclusion is deducible from the practice of Congress, and the states; all of which have established some kind of Armorial Devices, to authenticate their official instruments," said George Washington, talking about his feelings of Heraldry and his British lineage.

Elizabeth Griscom Ross is recognized for sewing the first American flag. Betsy Ross was a seamstress who often mended the cloths of George Washington.

To learn more about historic flag collecting, visit www.steve4u.com or www.usa-flag-site.org. Visit the Veteran Memorial Museum in Chehalis to see many excellent examples of the American Flag.