Virginia Flaggers install larger flag at Chester site off I-95

CHESTER — A higher location and more square footage of cloth has increased the visibility of a Confederate battle flag installed amid major controversy a little more than three years ago alongside Interstate 95.

The Virginia Flaggers, a Sandston-based group that promotes the flying of the battle flag in high-visibility locations, said on their blog that they unveiled the relocated flagpole and larger flag last Saturday, Feb. 4, on private property at 2501 Old Bermuda Hundred Road owned by James D. Eaton Sr. and Barbara B. Eaton of Chester, according to Chesterfield County online property records.

The original 15-by-15-foot flag on the site, dedicated in October 2013, stood on a 50-foot pole but was located in a ravine and screened from drivers on the interstate by trees and the Old Bermuda Hundred Road overpass. The new flag is 20 by 20 feet, according to the Flaggers' blog. The blog did not give a height for the new pole but said it was fabricated and installed by South Carolina-based Dixiana Steel.

The Flaggers' announcement in 2013 that they planned to install a large battle flag alongside the interstate near Richmond sparked widespread controversy. Critics said the flag has become a symbol of racism because of its use by white supremacist groups, while supporters said they were just trying to honor their Confederate ancestors.

The flag site was subjected to minor vandalism even before the flag was unveiled, and a couple of weeks after the dedication ceremony, an earth-moving machine that had been used to clear the site was reported stolen. The orange Hitachi EX 100 trackhoe was valued at $20,000.

The Flaggers have installed two more flags alongside I-95 since then, one in Stafford County and one in Prince George County at 17106 S. Crater Road, just south of Exit 41 on land owned by Robert E. Lee Murphy of Port St. Lucie, Fla., according to Prince George County online property records.

The flag in Prince George, erected about a year ago, is dedicated to Confederate Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton III, who later served as governor of South Carolina and a U.S. senator. Hampton planned the “beefsteak raid” in September 1864 that the county commemorates annually with a cookout.

According to the Civil War Trust, Hampton inherited his family’s South Carolina plantation, which had “one of the largest collections of slaves in the South.” During his gubernatorial race, Hampton and his supporters were accused of intimidating black voters at the polls as well as rigging ballots.

Further controversy has dogged the Flaggers since the Chester flag first went up. In particular, critics point to the high-profile presence among the group's supporters of known members of white nationalist organizations such as the League of the South, as well as articles by and interviews with Flaggers founder Susan Hathaway appearing on white supremacist websites and online radio feeds.

According to the Flaggers' blog, members working on the new pole last weekend were greeted by supporters offering encouragement. "Thumbs up's and honks of approval were heard repeatedly," according to the blog.

• Michael Buettner may be reached at mbuettner@progress-index.com or 804-722-5155.