Flag of Indiana

Last updated

Indiana
Flag of Indiana.svg
Indiana
Use Civil and state flag FIAV 110000.svg FIAV normal.svg IFIS Mirror.svg
Proportion2:3 or 3:5 (official)
AdoptedMay 31, 1917;107 years ago (1917-05-31), standardized in 1955;70 years ago (1955). [1]
DesignOn a blue background, a gold torch surrounded by an outer circle of thirteen stars, an inner semi circle of five stars, and a 19th, larger, star at the top of the torch, crowned by the word 'Indiana' in gold, representing Indiana's admission to the Union as the 19th state. The flame of the torch has seven rays that emanate to seven stars.
Designed byPaul Hadley
3:5 aspect ratio
Indiana State Flag Variation.svg
Pantone colors
Indiana State Flag Pantone.svg

The current flag of Indiana was designed by Paul Hadley and officially adopted by the U.S state of Indiana on May 31, 1917. [1]

Contents

It is the state's third official flag and has remained unchanged since then except for the creation of a statute to standardize the production of the flag in 1955.

History

First flag

A state flag for Indiana was in use as early as the late 1880s, depicting the seal of Indiana wrapped in an oak leaf wreath, a star-spangled shield with 13 stars and stripes below the seal, and a red scroll above the seal that bears the name Indiana. [2]

On February 21, 1885, each state was asked to dedicate a state flag for the Washington Monument. At the time, Indiana lacked a state flag, and so the Indiana government had authorized Eliza Callis, the State Librarian for the Indiana State Library, to produce the first Indiana state flag. [3] [4]

Second flag

In 1901, Senate Bill 239 of Chapter 150 in Laws of the State of Indiana sought to make the flag of the United States the official state flag of Indiana. This Act passed at the Sixty-Second Regular Session of the General Assembly, and was put into effect on March 9, 1901 when Governor Winfield Durbin signed the bill into law. [5] This Act lasted until 1955 when the Indiana General Assembly amended the Act, officially recognizing Paul Hadley's flag design as the state flag. [6]

The bill reads as follows:

WHEREAS, The State of Indiana has no flag; and

WHEREAS, The flag of the United States is recognized as the flag of every State and Territory composing the United States; therefore

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana, That said flag of the United States, representing each State with a star in a blue field, be and is hereby adopted as the flag of the State of Indiana. [7]

Current flag

To commemorate the state's 1916 centennial anniversary, the Indiana General Assembly issued a resolution to adopt a new state flag. At the request of the General Assembly, a contest was sponsored by the Indiana Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution to design a flag to serve as the official state banner. As an incentive to increase the number of submissions, the contest offered the winner a one hundred dollar cash prize. More than two hundred submissions were received and examined by the Society before a winner was selected. The entry created by Paul Hadley of Mooresville, Indiana, was ultimately chosen as the winner of the contest and the cash prize. [5] [8] [9]

On May 31st, 1917, the flag was chosen as the state's official banner. The General Assembly made only one change to Hadley's original design: they added the word Indiana, in a crescent shape, over the top of the torch. The state banner was later renamed the state's flag in a new statute passed in 1955 that also standardized the dimensions of the flag, [8] [10] namely mandating a more rectangular aspect ratio as most Indiana state flags made until then were of a more squared shape. [11] [12] [13]

Flag evolution

The symbols of the Indiana state flag such as the torch in a circle of stars were used in the Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay in 2016. The torch on the Indiana state flag was created into a physical torch that was used for the event. [17] [18]

In 2001, a survey conducted by the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) placed Indiana's flag 32nd in design quality out of the 72 Canadian provincial, U.S. state and U.S. territorial flags ranked. [20]

Iconography

The flag consists of a gold torch that represents liberty & enlightenment; the rays around the torch represent their far-reaching influence. [21] The nineteen stars represent Indiana's place as the nineteenth state to join the United States. The thirteen stars in the outer loop symbolize the original Thirteen Colonies, the five inner stars represent the next five states added to the Union, and the one large star above the torch represents Indiana. [8] [10]

Statute

Indiana state flag flying at the Indiana World War Memorial. IndianaWorldWarMemorial 04.JPG
Indiana state flag flying at the Indiana World War Memorial.

The current statute that governs the design of the state flag states:

The flag's dimensions shall be three feet fly by two feet hoist; or five feet fly by three feet hoist; or any size proportionate to either of those dimensions. The field of the flag shall be blue with nineteen stars and a flaming torch in gold or buff. 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. The outer circle of stars shall be so arranged that one star shall appear directly in the middle at the top of the circle, and the word "Indiana" shall be placed in a half circle over and above the star representing Indiana and midway between it and the star in the center above it. Rays shall be shown radiating from the torch to the three stars on each side of the star in the upper center of the circle. [10]

There are no official shades of blue and gold for the flag. [22]

Usage

Several other laws govern the use of the state flag.

The flag is required to be flown by all state militias and the Indiana National Guard. [23] It is to be on display at the Indiana Statehouse at all times, and a new and different state flag is required to replace the previous flag each day whenever doing so would be feasible and practicable. [24] The flag must also be displayed at any agency that is funded in part or in full by the state government, including public schools, state universities, and state parks. [25] When the state flag is in too poor of a condition that it is not fitting for display, the flag should be honorably destroyed using the same method provided for the retiring and disposing of the flag of the United States. [26]

In all other respects, the Indiana state flag should be treated with the same care and respect as the flag of the United States.

Other usage

The Indiana state flag as depicted in the 1976 bicentennial postage stamp series. Indiana Bicentennial 13c 1976 issue.jpg
The Indiana state flag as depicted in the 1976 bicentennial postage stamp series.
The Indiana state flag shown in a 1980 Indianapolis post card. Indian Post Card 1980.png
The Indiana state flag shown in a 1980 Indianapolis post card.

The team colors for the NBA's Indiana Pacers were taken from the gold and blue of the flag. [27]

Several Indiana state agencies and colleges utilize the Indiana state flag in their logos. [28] [29]

Several Indiana license plates use the state's flag in their designs. [30]

In late 2008, Bloomington-licensed CW affiliate WTTV used the flag's torch and stars element in their station logo until 2015 when they became a CBS affiliate, though the logo remains in use for their second digital subchannel. [31]

The logo of the BP-acquired Amoco Corporation (formerly Standard Oil of Indiana) prominently features a torch to commemorate the company's Hoosier origins; it remains in use at the few BP stations using Amoco and Standard trade dress to maintain trademark protection.

A variation of the Indiana state flag was used as the Gotham flag in the 1989 movie Batman . The flag can be seen in the mayor's office. [32] [33]

Apollo 17 display case with the state flag and a moon basalt rock. Apollo 17 display 71.2003.061.jpg
Apollo 17 display case with the state flag and a moon basalt rock.

After the Apollo 11 moon landing, a display case containing the state flag and 0.05 grams of space dust was created by NASA and presented to Governor Edgar D. Whitcomb. The display case remains on display at the Indiana State Museum. [34]

In 1973, a piece of Lunar basalt 70017 was given to the state of Indiana by President Richard Nixon. A display case was created containing the piece of lunar basalt. Also on this display case, below the rock, is a copy of the state flag that had been carried to the Moon aboard Spacecraft America during the Apollo 17 mission.

Flag proposals

The idea of a state flag contest was first raised at the annual state DAR conference in 1915. [35] To commemorate the state's 1916 centennial anniversary, the Indiana General Assembly issued a resolution to adopt a new state flag. At the request of the General Assembly, a contest was sponsored by the Indiana Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution to design a flag to serve as the official state banner. [8] This contest had received over two hundred flag submissions, including several flags designed by Paul Hadley. Of the flag submissions, only a few of them are known to have been documented. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Europe</span> Official symbol used by the Council of Europe and the European Union

The flag of Europe or European flag consists of twelve golden stars forming a circle on a blue field. It is the official flag of the European Union. It was designed and adopted in 1955 by the Council of Europe (CoE) as a symbol for the whole of Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of the United States</span>

The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars alternate with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states, and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that won independence from Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mooresville, Indiana</span> Town in Indiana, United States

Mooresville is a town in Brown Township, Morgan County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The town is notable for being where the current flag of Indiana was created. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 9,411.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flags of the U.S. states and territories</span>

The flags of the U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia exhibit a variety of regional influences and local histories, as well as different styles and design principles. Modern U.S. state flags date from the turn of the 20th century, when states considered distinctive symbols for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. Most U.S. state flags were designed and adopted between 1893 and World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Ohio</span>

The Ohio Burgee is the official flag of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a distinctive triangular swallowtail flag. Its red, white, and blue elements symbolize the state's natural features and order of admission into the Union. A prominent disc in the flag's triangular canton is suggestive of the state's name. The flag was adopted in 1902.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span> National flag

The national flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a sky blue flag, adorned with a yellow star in the upper left canton and cut diagonally by a red stripe with a yellow fimbriation. It was adopted on 18 February 2006. A new constitution, ratified in December 2005 and which came into effect in February 2006, promoted a return to a flag similar to that flown between 1966 and 1971, with a change from a royal blue to sky blue background. Blue represents peace. Red stands for "the blood of the country's martyrs", yellow the country's wealth; and the star symbol the future for the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Mississippi</span> US state flag

The flag of Mississippi consists of a white magnolia blossom surrounded by 21 stars and the words "In God We Trust" written below, all put over a blue Canadian pale with two vertical gold borders on a red field. The topmost star is composed of a pattern of five diamonds, an Indigenous symbol; the other 20 stars are white, as Mississippi was the 20th state to join the Union. The flag was adopted on January 11, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Tennessee</span> U.S. state flag

The flag of Tennessee is the official flag of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The flag displays an emblem on a field of red, with a strip of blue bordered by white on the fly. The emblem in the middle consists of three white stars on a blue circle also with a white border. The central emblem portion of the flag has been adopted as the state's unofficial logo, and appears in the logos of some Tennessee-based companies and sports teams. Examples include the First Horizon Bank and the Tennessee Titans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of West Virginia</span>

The state flag of the U.S. state of West Virginia was officially adopted by the West Virginia Legislature on March 7, 1929. The present flag consists of a pure white field bordered by a blue stripe with the coat of arms of West Virginia in the center, wreathed by Rhododendron maximum and topped by an unfurled red ribbon reading, "State of West Virginia." It is the only state flag to bear crossing rifles, meant to illustrate the importance of the state's fight for liberty during the American Civil War as the southern unionist 35th state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Indianapolis</span>

The flag of Indianapolis has a dark blue field with a white five-pointed star pointing upwards in the center. Around the star is a circular field in red. Surrounding the red field is a white ring, from which extend four white stripes from top to bottom and from hoist to fly, thus creating four equal quadrants in the field. The stripes are about one-seventh the width of the flag, with the white ring the same width as the stripes. The diameter of the red circle is about two-ninths the width of the flag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seal of Indiana</span> Official government emblem of the U.S. state of Indiana

The seal of Indiana is used by the governor of Indiana to certify official documents of the U.S. state of Indiana. The seal has gone through several revisions since the region was a part of the Northwest Territory. It is likely that the original seal, which is similar to the current one, was created by William Henry Harrison during his administration of the Indiana Territory. The current design of the seal was standardized by the Indiana General Assembly in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag and seal of Illinois</span> Official flag and government emblem of the U.S. state of Illinois

The Great Seal of the State of Illinois is the official emblem of the U.S. state of Illinois, and signifies the official nature of a document produced by the state. The present seal was designed and proposed in 1868 and officially adopted in 1869. It depicts in profile a bald eagle perched on a rock with wings spread and holding a shield, with a banner in its beak and sunrise over water in the background. It replaced an earlier seal that was almost the same as the Great Seal of the United States, adopted when Illinois became a state in 1818.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Indianapolis)</span> Monument and historic site in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

The Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a 284 ft 6 in (86.72 m) tall neoclassical monument built on Monument Circle, a circular, brick-paved street that intersects Meridian and Market streets in the center of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. In the years since its public dedication on May 15, 1902, the monument has become an iconic symbol of Indianapolis, the state capital of Indiana. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 1973, and was included in an expansion of the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza National Historic Landmark District in December 2016. It is located in the Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District. It is also the largest outdoor memorial and the largest of its kind in Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 Pan American Games</span> 10th edition of the Pan American Games

The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas competed in 297 events in 30 sports, earning 1,015 medals. Events were held at 23 venues in and around Indianapolis. The official mascot for the games was Amigo, a green parrot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betsy Ross flag</span> Early U.S. flag design

The Betsy Ross flag is an early design for the flag of the United States, which is conformant to the Flag Act of 1777 and has red stripes outermost and stars arranged in a circle. These details elaborate on the 1777 act, passed early in the American Revolutionary War, which specified 13 alternating red and white horizontal stripes and 13 white stars in a blue canton. Its name stems from the story, once widely believed, that shortly after the 1777 act, upholsterer and flag maker Betsy Ross produced a flag of this design.

USS <i>Indiana</i> (SSN-789) US Navy Virginia-class submarine

USS Indiana (SSN-789) is a nuclear powered United States Navy Virginia-class attack submarine, named for the State of Indiana. She is the sixteenth of her class and sixth of the significantly redesigned Block III, including a revised bow and VLS technology from the Ohio-class of guided missile submarines. Indiana was constructed by Huntington Ingalls Industries in partnership with the Electric Boat division of General Dynamics in Newport News, Virginia, with the initial contract awarded on 22 December 2008. Her keel was laid on 16 May 2015 and she was launched on 9 June 2017. The boat was christened on 29 April 2017 and sponsored by Diane Donald, wife of Admiral Kirkland H. Donald, USN (ret). She was commissioned on 29 September 2018 at Port Canaveral, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bust of Benjamin Harrison</span> Bust by Richard Peglow

Benjamin Harrison is a bust by American artist Richard Peglow, located in the north atrium on the second floor of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The bust is cast in bronze and depicts President Benjamin Harrison. The bust is placed in front of a grey and black marble shield with six stars tracing around the edge of the shape. The bust and shield are approximately 28 inches (710 mm) wide by 25 inches (640 mm) high and has a depth of 14.5 inches (370 mm). The artwork was cast and placed in the statehouse in 2008 in accordance with Indiana code Section 2. IC 4-20.5-6-12.

Roland Hobart was an Austrian artist who arrived in the United States in 1966 to participate in the L. S. Ayres "Import Fair" and later became a leading mural artist in Downtown Indianapolis, a well-known screen printing artist, and educator.

Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay was an Olympic-style torch relay to mark the 200th anniversary of the state of Indiana. The relay spanned 3,200 miles over all 92 counties in the state. It started on September 9, 2016, in Corydon, IN, the state's first capital, and ended October 15, 2016 at the Statehouse Grounds in Indianapolis. The relay path included 17 state parks, 260 cities, 9 rivers and lakes, and 22 college campuses.

References

  1. 1 2 Smith, Whitney. "flag of Indiana". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  2. Burford, W.B. (1899). Legislative and State Manual of Indiana. Indianapolis: State of Indiana. p. 20. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  3. Indiana Code, Concurrent Resolution No. 6
  4. Reddick, David (21 August 2023). The Indiana Flag: Who Really Designed It?. Fideli Publishing. pp. 11–15. ISBN   978-1-955622-03-5.
  5. 1 2 Indiana Historical Bureau, Indiana State Flag, IN.gov, retrieved 2024-05-19
  6. Indiana State Flag History, Fox News, retrieved 9 July 2024
  7. Indiana Code, 9 March 1901, chap. 150, SB 239, p. 336
  8. 1 2 3 4 Indiana Historical Bureau. "Indiana's State Banner". IN.gov. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  9. 1 2 "Indiana is Hunting for... Official State Flag". The Indianapolis News.
  10. 1 2 3 Indiana Code, Title 1, Article 2, IC 1-2-2-1, added 1955
  11. "Indiana State Flag With Square-Like Proportions..." Jeff R. Bridgman.
  12. Harris & Ewing. "Presentation of the State Flag". Library of Congress.
  13. "Paul Hadley: Artist and Designer of the Indiana Flag". Indiana Historical Society. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  14. Indiana War Memorial. "Battle Flag Collection". IN.gov. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  15. Browne, Tiffany Benedict (9 January 2019). "The Who and How's of Indiana's Flag". Historic Indianapolis. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  16. "What's Missing? (Indiana State Flag...)". Mooresville (Indiana) Local History Treasure Trove. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  17. "Purdue engineers devising a most modern torch for Indiana's bicentennial". Indianapolis Star.
  18. "Bicentennial torch to tour Indiana". Ellen Garrison. Indianapolis Star.
  19. "BICENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIVE FLAG". IN.gov.
  20. "2001 State/Provincial Flag Survey - NAVA.org" (PDF). nava.org.
  21. Eric Holcomb, What is the Meaning Behind the Indiana State Flag?, IN.gov
  22. "Indiana State Flag". IN.gov. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  23. Indiana Code, Title 1, Article 2, IC 1-2-2-2
  24. Indiana Code, Title 1, Article 2, IC 1-2-3-1
  25. Indiana Code, Title 1, Article 2, IC 1-2-3-5
  26. Indiana Code, Title 1, Article 2, IC 1-2-3-6
  27. "Official Colors–Front Office" (PDF). 2022–23 Indiana Pacers Media Guide. NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  28. "Agency List". Indiana Government. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  29. List of colleges and universities in Indiana
  30. "License Plates of the World". Michael Kustermann. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  31. "Indianapolis Stations Prep for Network Swap With New Logos". NewscastStudio. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  32. Emily Schilling. "Long May it Wave in Gotham and Indiana". Indiana Connection. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  33. "Batman (Comics, TV, and Movies)". FOTW . Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  34. "To the Moon: Celebrating "One Giant Leap for Mankind" During Apollo 11's 50th Anniversary". indianamuseum.org.
  35. Reddick, David (21 August 2023). The Indiana Flag: Who Really Designed It?. Fideli Publishing. p. 34. ISBN   978-1-955622-03-5.