The Flags of The Eastern US States
Flags for Outdoor Display, Indoor Display and the Related Flags for Each State.
The below assortment of flags covers each of the State of the Eastern USA – East of the Mississippi. The order is alphabetical, and there is a brief historic synopsis here with a fuller rendition on the linked page. We would like to thank 50States.com for the summary history for each of the historic texts.
Alabama
The official state flag of Alabama was officially adopted on February 16, 1895.
Alabama’s flag design is Crimson St. Andrew’s cross on a white field, controversially patterned after the Confederate Battle Flag, and adopted in 1895. The bars forming the cross must not be less than six inches broad and must extend diagonally across the flag from side to side.
Delaware
Adopted on July 24, 1913, the Delaware state flag has a background of colonial blue surrounding a diamond of buff color in which the coat of arms of the state is placed. Below the diamond are the words “December 7, 1787,” indicating the day on which Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States constitution – making it the first State of the new United States of America.
Florida
The current design of Florida’s state flag was adopted in 1900. In that year, Florida voters ratified a constitutional amendment based on an 1899 joint resolution of the state legislature to add diagonal red bars, in the form of a St. Andrew’s cross, to the flag. On a white field emblazoned with a red X and the state seal, Florida‘s flag represents the land of sunshine, flowers, trees, rivers, and lakes.
Georgia
The current version of the state flag of Georgia was adopted in 2003. Previous to the current design was a design that had incorporated the confederate flag.
The Georgia flag has three red and white stripes and the state coat of arms on a blue field in the upper left corner. Thirteen stars surrounding the seal denote Georgia’s position as one of the original thirteen colonies.
Illinois
The first Illinois state flag was officially adopted in 1915 but updated in 1969 when the word “ILLINOIS” was added to the flag.
The state flag is a simple representation of the state seal of Illinois against a white background. The state’s name was added to the flag to ensure that people not familiar with the seal would still recognize the banner. It paid homage to the 20 States before it.
Indiana
Thirteen stars shall be arranged in an outer circle, representing the original thirteen states; five stars shall be arranged in a half circle below the torch and inside the outer circle of stars, representing the states admitted prior to Indiana; and the nineteenth star, appreciably larger than the others and representing Indiana shall be placed above the flame of the torch.
Kentucky
The seal in the center of the flag depicts a pioneer and a statesman embracing. Popular belief claims that the buckskin-clad man on the left is Daniel Boone, who was largely responsible for the exploration of Kentucky, while representing all the people, rather than any specific person. They are said to be acting out the meaning of Kentucky’s motto: “United We Stand; Divided We Fall”.
Maryland
The Maryland flag contains the family crest of the Calvert and Crossland families. Maryland was founded as an English colony in 1634 by Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore. The black and Gold designs – Calvert family. The red and white design – Crossland family. The Maryland state flag was officially adopted in 1904 and is symbolic of the “reunion of all the citizens in the state…”
Michigan
On the blue shield the sun rises over a lake and peninsula, a man with a raised hand and holding a gun represents peace and the ability to defend his rights. The elk and moose are symbols of Michigan, while the eagle represents the United States. The coat of arms, featuring an Elk and Moose, was adopted in 1835 and has been used ever since, with only minor artistic changes.
Mississippi
On November 3, 2020, the new Mississippi state flag was approved by state referendum by the Commission to Redesign committee. The previous flag had an emblem of the confederate flag and was voted out after a national public outcry. This new flag passed and became the official state flag of Mississippi on January 11, 2021. The design that features a white magnolia blossom- the state flower
New Jersey
The State flag of New Jersey is buff colored- buff and blue are New Jersey’s state colors. It’s been said that General George Washington chose those colors after he was stationed in New Jersey during the revolutionary war.
The design of the flag shows the New Jersey state coat of arms emblazoned in the center. The shield has three plows with a horse’s head above it.
New York
The official state flag of New York was adopted in 1901. Emblazoned on a dark blue field is the state coat of arms, which was officially adopted by New York in 1778. The flag’s design features the goddess Liberty holding a pole with a Liberty Cap on top. Liberty stands for freedom. At her feet is a discarded crown, representing freedom from England at the end of the revolutionary war.
North Carolina
North Carolina’s flag was officially adopted on March 9, 1885 but it was updated in 1991 with some minor changes. The flag’s design incorporates an “N” for North and a “C” for Carolina. The single star in between represents North Carolina.
The flag also shows two equally proportioned bars; the upper bar is red, the lower bar, white. The length of the bars horizontally is equal to the perpendicular length…
Ohio
The flag of Ohio, which was officially adopted in 1902, is the only flag that doesn’t have the traditional rectangular shape. The Ohio flag is actually a burgee. A burgee is typically flown by yachts, has a distinguished shape, more like a pennant with two tails. That design is properly called swallow-tailed. Ohio’s flag was designed by John Eisenmann in 1901, having been without a flag for 100 years.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania state flag was officially adopted in 1907 but the first state flag bearing the state coat of arms was authorized by the general assembly in 1799. An act of the general assembly of June 13, 1907, standardized the flag and required that the blue field match the blue of “Old Glory,” which is the national US flag. Pennsylvania’s State Flag is more of a square than a rectangle.
South Carolina
The South Carolina’s flag design dates back to 1775, by being based on Revolutionary War flags. The current South Carolina state flag was officially adopted on January 26, 1861. Asked by the Revolutionary Council of Safety in the fall of 1775 to design a flag for the use of South Carolina troops, Colonel William Moultrie chose a blue which matched the color of their uniforms and a crescent which…
Tennessee
The three stars on the Tennessee flag represent the three different landforms in Tennessee, mountains in the east, highlands in the middle and lowlands in the west.
The state flag was designed by LeRoy Reeves of the Third Regiment, Tennessee Infantry, who made the following explanation of his design: “The three stars are of pure white, representing the three grand divisions of the state…”
Virginia
The current state flag was established in February 1909. Its coat of arms shows a moose-and-pine-tree emblem on a shield supported by a farmer and a sailor; a ribbon below bears the state name, and above is the North Star and the Latin motto “Dirigo” (“I direct”). Maine also has a special naval flag resembling that of Massachusetts; it features a white background with a green pine tree.
West Virginia
The Seal and basis of the State Flag New Hampshire was adopted in 1784 following the Revolutionary War. On December 28, 1792, a regulation was adopted by the legislature that required regiments in the state militia to carry the national flag and regimental colors displaying the state seal. More than a century passed, however, before the adoption of a state flag for general purposes.
Wisconsin
There is no extant record of a design for an official Vermont flag prior to 1804, although Ira Allen’s design—common to both the Great Seal of Vermont and the coat of arms of Vermont—dates to 1778.[7] While an official government flag might not have existed prior to 1804, the Vermont militia—known as the Green Mountain Boys—use of the Flag of the Green Mountain Boys as far back as 1777.
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