Special Pennsylvania state flags may soon wave over the graves of three governors buried in Bellefonte's Union Cemetery.

The flags would make the sites more noticeable to visitors, who otherwise may not know Pennsylvania leaders were laid to rest in the local cemetery.

The House of Representatives recently passed a bill requiring state flags to be placed on the graves of former governors. The bill sponsored Rep. Ruth C. Rudy, D-Centre and Mifflin, is scheduled now for examination in the Senate's local government committee.

Under the measure, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission would provide the flags, with the inscription "Former Governor of Pennsylvania" stitched on each flag. Local historical societies would place them by the graves and organize ceremonies.

"As far as I know, no other type of bill like this has been introduced before," Rudy said, adding she believes the chance is good that the bill will pass in the Senate.

Rudy was approached by Centre County historian Hugh Manchester at a Memorial Day service about honoring the governors of Pennsylvania, noting they should be honored as heroes.

"Three former governors, Andrew Curtin, James Beaver and Daniel Hastings, are buried in Centre County, and I think it's entirely appropriate to honor their memory and the memory of all Pennsylvania's governors," Rudy said in a statement.

"Their recognition is long overdue. The influence of these men is unprecedented," Manchester said.

Curtin wanted to be remembered by a flower each Memorial Day, but his request has not been observed, he said.

He said he hopes the bill will pass in time for a service this Memorial Day. All three men were important figures in the county and the state, Manchester said.

Curtin, who was governor from 1861 to 1867, was born in Bellefonte and started a law practice there. Curtin played a major roll in the preservation of the Union during the Civil War, he said.

Beaver had a law practice with his father-in-law, H.N. McAllister, in Bellefonte. Beaver was president of the then Penn State College Board of Trustees, Manchester added. He was governor from 1867 to 1887.

Hastings was born in Centre County and was principal of Bellefonte High School. Governor from 1895 to 1899, Hastings was known for his relief efforts after the famous Johnstown flood of 1889, Manchester said.

The graves of the three governors in the Union Cemetery honorarily mark the men as soldiers, not governors, said Candace Covey, president of the Board of Managers of Union Cemetery.