Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the removal of a Confederate flag from the Pennsylvania Capitol Wednesday after a short-lived saga played out in which the fraught Civil War symbol was taken down, returned and taken down again.

The flag had hung in the East Wing since May 29 as part of a display of several dozen historical flags from the Hanover Area Historical Society in honor of Flag Day, which takes place annually on June 14.

Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, D-Philadelphia, noticed the flag late Tuesday, removed it on her own and turned it over to House Speaker Mike Turzai's office.

"That Confederate flag is a symbol of hate, murder and oppression," Brown said Wednesday, noting the impending anniversary of the massacre at a black church in Charleston, S.C., that prompted the removal of the flag from the grounds of that state's capitol.

Brown's removal of the flag coincided with the historical society's own event in the East Rotunda and its absence prompted a call from organizers to the Capitol Police. At the time, no one knew the flag's whereabouts.

"It's part of American history," Debra Markle, a member of the historical society's board, said earlier Wednesday morning. "We can't sugarcoat everything and it's just a shame that one person's opinion has to ruin [the display] for so many. But it seems that's the way it's going in this country."

Turzai's office turned the flag that was left in its possession over to the police. It was briefly returned to the display, which also included another Confederate flag, the Bonnie Blue Flag first used in Mississippi when the state seceded from the union in 1861.

Brown, several other lawmakers, police officers and members of the Department of General Services, which approves such installations, all milled about the East Rotunda for several hours on Wednesday morning.

Gov. Tom Wolf formally ordered the removal of the confederate flag after Brown brought it to the attention of the governor's office. The "stars and bars" flag was also removed.

"The governor believes the Confederate flag is a symbol of racism and hatred that has no place in this building or any state building," Wolf spokesman Jeff Sheridan said, after the flags' removal.

When asked about whether the flag belonged as part of a historical display, Sheridan said, "Pennsylvania wasn't part of the Confederacy, so I'm not sure why that would be a symbol of a historical display in our building here in the Capitol.

"It should never have been in here in the first place," he added.

Brown, who chairs the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, said she's not necessarily opposed to the display of the Confederate flag as part of a historical display. The problem with the historical society's display, she said, was that the adjoining plaque didn't provide the history of bloodshed and racism that the flag represents.

"That flag can come back up, but it has to tell the truth," she said.

Sheridan said the administration's policy is that no Confederate flags should hang in the Capitol, but declined to comment on the issue of whether a flag given proper context would ever be appropriate. It's an issue, he said, the governor would be willing to discuss with Brown.

Markle, reached by phone after the flag's removal, said she couldn't recall what was on the plaque but reiterated that the Civil War-era flags are part of America's shared history.

"It's very disheartening," she said of Wolf's order to take down the flag. "They're caving in to bullies, period."

She went on to say that Brown's handling of the situation was a "disgrace" to her position as a lawmaker.

"That woman was a thief," Markle said. "She took that flag when no one was looking. She stole the flag, she is a thief and she didn't have enough honor and credibility to return it."

Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia, said it was to the Wolf administration's credit that they removed the flag quickly once they were made aware of its presence in the Capitol.

"Those things cannot happen," he said. "If there needs to be more education so that people understand what these symbols mean, then that's something that we need to do, but these kinds of things can't happen. This is the state Capitol. This is the people's Capitol."

The flag is still a powerful symbol of America's long history of slavery and the racism that persists today, Harris said. Even in a historical display, he said, it has no place in the Capitol.

"Sure, it's a difficult part of our history, but it's a part of the history that had my ancestors in chains," he said. "No other part of anyone's history that includes slavery . . . would be acceptable to still display.

"It is a part of our history," he added, "but it's a part of our history we shouldn't be celebrating by hanging those flags in this Capitol."