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State Flags AL-MO

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13-cent Alabama state flag single

The 13-cent Alabama State Flag issue (Scott 1654) depicts the Alabama state flag authorized on February 16, 1895. The flag pictures a "crimson cross of St. Andrew on a field of white." Reminiscent of the Confederate Battle Flag, its crimson bars were not to be less than six inches broad and were to extend diagonally across the flag. The flag is sometimes depicted as a square and at other times depicted as a rectangle.

Though Alabama entered the Union in 1819, it wasn't until the state seceded from the Union in 1861 that Alabamans adopted a flag. The original flag, damaged in a severe storm, flew for only a month.

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Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Alaska state flag single

The 13-cent Alaska State Flag stamp (Scott 1681) was designed by 13-year old John Bell (Benny) Benson and adopted on May 2, 1927. On January 3, 1959, Alaska became the 49th state in the Union.

The blue background represents the sky and the Forget-Me-Not, Alaska’s state flower. On that background are eight gold stars representing the Big Dipper, which forms part of the constellation Ursa Major or Great Bear, symbolizing strength, and the North Star, representing the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the Union.

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Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Arizona state flag single

Colonel Charles W. Harris, adjutant general of the Arizona National Guard, designed the 13-cent Arizona State Flag issue (Scott 1680). The Arizona State Legislature adopted the flag on February 17, 1917.

The flag's upper half symbolizes the thirteen original colonies and the western setting sun. The copper star in the flag's center identifies Arizona as the largest copper producing state in the Union. The flag's lower half is a field of blue, and the rays of the setting sun are red and yellow. Blue and red are the same colors as the U.S. flag; yellow and blue are the Arizona state colors. The red and yellow colors found in the sun’s rays are also the colors flown by the Spanish conquistadores led by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in his unsuccessful search for the Seven Cities of Cibola in 1540.

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Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Arkansas state flag single

Miss Willie K. Hocker of Wabbaseka, Arkansas, designed the 13-cent Arkansas State Flag issue (Scott 1635). Hocker was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The flag was adopted in 1913 and modified in 1923 and 1924.

The flag's twenty-five stars identify Arkansas as the 25th state admitted to the United States. The three large stars in the center stand for the three nations that have ruled Arkansas: Spain, France, and the U.S. and also that Arkansas was the third state formed from the Louisiana Purchase. The two stars below and parallel to the state name also represent Arkansas and Michigan, both admitted to the Union at about the same time: Arkansas on June 15, 1836, and Michigan on January 26, 1937.

The large star above ARKANSAS symbolizes the Confederacy, which Arkansas joined in 1861, and the diamond formed by the twenty-five stars represents Arkansas as the only diamond-producing state in the Union.

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Doug D'Avino

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13-cent California state flag single

The 13-cent California State Flag stamp (Scott 1663) features the Bear Flag, which William Todd painted and which was first raised on June 14, 1846, at Sonoma by a group of American settlers revolting against Mexico's rule. The original Bear Flag inspired the current California state flag, adopted in 1911.

The bear image represents the numerous grizzly bears in the state as well as great strength. The words "California Republic" commemorate the American pioneers who settled in the territory. The five-pointed star was taken from the Lone Star of Texas.

The original Bear Flag, held by the Society of California Pioneers, perished in the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906.

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Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Colorado state flag single

The 13-cent Colorado State Flag stamp (Scott 1670) features an image of the state flag adopted on June 5, 1911. The 1911 legislation that adopted the flag did not stipulate the precise hues of red and blue to be used, and so on February 28, 1929, the General Assembly stipulated that the colors be the same as the colors on the U.S. flag. Controversy arose over the size of the letter 'C,' and on March 31, 1964, the General Assembly further modified the 1911 legislation by revising the distance from the staff for the letter 'C' and its diameter.

Three alternate stripes comprise the flag's field—the two outer stripes are blue and the middle stripe is white. The center of the red letter 'C' is filled with the color gold.

The Colorado state flag's colors represent the state's environmental qualities. The gold represents abundant sunshine; blue symbolizes Colorado's clear blue skies; white represents the state's snow capped mountains; and red represents the color of much of the state's soil.

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Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Connecticut state flag single

The 13-cent Connecticut State Flag (Scott 1637) displays the Arms of the State. The field is azure blue; the armorial bearing (shield) is argent white and described by law as 'rococo design', a style distinguished by fancy curves and elaborate ornamentation. Three supported grape vines are depicted on the shield, each bearing three bunches of grapes.

The rococo shield is outlined in gold and silver and is decorated with clusters of white oak leaves and acorns. A white streamer, cleft at each end and bordered in gold and brown, is displayed below the shield. The motto of the state of Connecticut, “Qui Transtulit Sustinet” ("He who transplanted still sustains"), is featured in dark blue on the streamer.

Elements of the design were passed down from a seal brought from England by Colonel George Fenwick in 1639. His seal served as the seal of the Saybrook Colony and was passed on for the use of the Connecticut Colony around 1644. The motto was also inherited from the Fenwick seal.

The white oak leaves and acorns are from the Charter Oak, made the official state tree in 1947.

In 1990, the law describing the flag was modified slightly.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Delaware state flag single

On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution and thus the first state of the United States of America. The 13-cent Delaware State Flag (Scott 1633) is hence the first stamp on the pane of fifty state flags, appearing in the upper left corner of the pane.

The state flag of Delaware was adopted on July 24, 1913. A field of colonial blue is the setting for a buff-colored diamond within which the coat-of-arms of the state—depicting early occupational symbols for shipping, farming, hunting, and cattle ranching—is displayed. Beneath the diamond and the coat-of-arms is the date of ratification, December 7, 1787.

The colonial blue field and the buff-colored diamond represent the colors of a uniform worn by General George Washington. The diamond is a reference to an early state nickname, the 'Diamond State', so given because of Delaware's small size and great value.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Florida state flag single

Voters approved the Florida state flag in 1900. The 13-cent Florida State Flag stamp (Scott 1659) displays two diagonal red bars on a white field. The seal of the state occupies the center of a white ground, and red bars extend from each corner towards the center, to the outer rim of the seal.

The state seal on the flag features a Native American Seminole woman scattering flowers, a steamboat, a cabbage palmetto tree, and a brilliant sun. Florida is represented as the land of sunshine, flowers, palm trees, rivers, and lakes.

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Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Georgia state flag single

The 13-cent Georgia State Flag stamp (Scott 1635) features a flag that has evolved over many years and is no longer that state’s flag.

On October 17, 1879, a flag was approved that incorporated design elements of the First National Flag of the Confederate States, the Stars and Bars. In 1902 the Georgia General Assembly stipulated that the state coat-of-arms be stamped on the plain blue field of the canton. In 1914 the General Assembly changed the date on the flag from 1799, the year the state seal was adopted, to 1776, the year of independence. Sometime in the 1920s, the state flag began appearing with the state seal depicted instead of the shield or the coat-of-arms, as stipulated in 1902.

In early 1955 a new flag design was proposed that incorporated the Confederate Battle Flag. At the 1956 session of the General Assembly, state senators Jefferson Lee Davis and Willis Harden introduced a bill to change the state flag design again. This bill was signed into law on February 13, 1956. For over forty-five years this flag flew over the state of Georgia; the state seal depicted on a blue field and a representation of the Confederate Battle Flag to the right.

For years the design of the flag was challenged, and in January, 2001, a new design was passed into law.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Hawaii state flag single

The Hawaii state flag was designed in 1816 at the request of King Kamehameha I and adopted in 1894. Hawaii was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, as the fiftieth state.

The 13-cent Hawaii State Flag (Scott 1682) features eight alternating white, red, and blue stripes that represent Hawaii's eight islands. The British Union Jack represents Hawaii's historical relationship with Great Britain as its protectorate. It also represents a stylized puela (a triangular standard lying across two crossed spears called an alia), which is the symbol of the Hawaiian ali'i, or chief.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Idaho state flag single

The Idaho state flag was adopted on March 12, 1907. The 13-cent Idaho State Flag stamp (Scott 1675) features the state seal on a field of blue. A red banner bordered in gold is directly under the seal, and on the banner are the words "State of Idaho."

The woman on the state seal signifies justice, as noted by the scales; liberty, as denoted by the liberty cap on the end of the spear; and equality with man as denoted by her position at his side. The pick and shovel held by the miner, the ledge of rock beside which he stands, and the ore scattered about the feet indicate the state’s chief occupation.

The shield between the man and woman represents the protection together they give the state. The large fir or pine tree in the foreground of the shield refers to Idaho's timber interests. The husbandman plowing on the left side of the shield and the sheaf of grain beneath the shield represent agricultural resources, while the cornucopias, or horns of plenty, refer to horticulture. The elk's head rises above the shield; the state flower, the wild Syringa or Mock Orange, grows at the woman's feet, while the ripened wheat grows as high as her shoulder. The star signifies a new light in the galaxy of states, and the river depicted is the Snake or Shoshone River.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Illinois state flag single

The 13-cent Illinois State Flag issue (Scott 1653) depicts the emblem of the Illinois state shield on a white field. The name of the state is printed below the emblem in blue upper case letters.

The bald eagle, which represents the United States, holds a red streamer in its beak. The state motto—"State sovereignty, national union"— proclaims that Illinois governs itself under the government of the United States. The bald eagle grips a shield with thirteen bars and thirteen stars, representing the original thirteen colonies. The date Illinois was admitted to the Union and the date of the state seal are printed on the boulder resting on ground, symbolizing the rich soil of this prairie state.

Modeled after a 1915 design by Miss Lucy Derwent and modified in 1969 to carry the word "Illinois," the flag became the official flag of Illinois on July 1, 1970. Miss Derwent was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution,

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Indiana state flag single

The design of the Indiana state flag resulted from a competition sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution during the state's 1916 centennial celebration. Paul Hadley won the competition, and the Indiana General Assembly adopted the flag in 1917. The 13-cent Indiana State Flag stamp (Scott 1651) replicates the flag.

The flag's field is blue with nineteen stars, which is a reference to Indiana's being the nation's nineteenth state, and it has a flaming torch in gold or buff. The flaming torch stands for "liberty and enlightenment." The torch's six rays symbolize the expansive nature of those two concepts.

The thirteen stars of the outer circle represent the thirteen original colonies, and the five stars of the inner circle represent the next five states admitted to the Union. The largest star, positioned at the top of the torch and below the state name, represents Indiana.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Iowa state flag single

Mrs. Dixie Cornell Gebhardt of Knoxville, Iowa, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, designed the state's flag, which is replicated on the 13-cent Iowa State Flag stamp (Scott 1661). Adopted in 1921, seventy-five years after the admission of Iowa into the Union, the flag resulted from a request made by Iowa National Guardsmen stationed along the Mexican border during World War I. The Guardsmen wanted a state flag to designate their unit.

The Iowa state flag consists of three vertical stripes: blue for loyalty, justice, and truth; white for purity; and red for courage. On the white stripe is a bald eagle carrying a blue streamer in its beak. The state motto—" Our Liberties We Prize, and Our Rights We Will Maintain"—appears on the streamer. The state's name is emblazoned in red letters below the eagle.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Kansas state flag single

The 13-cent Kansas State Flag issue (Scott 1659) replicates the state flag officially adopted in 1927 and first flown over Fort Riley, Kansas.

The Kansas flag consists of a dark blue field with the state seal in the center, topped by the state crest incorporating a sunflower design. Below the seal is the word “Kansas.” The seal includes a landscape with a rising sun, representing the east, and a river and steamboat, representing commerce.

The seal also includes images of Indians hunting American bison and prairie schooners heading west. The farmer who plows his field before his cabin represents agricultural assets, and the steamboat navigating the Kansas River represents commerce. Around the top of the seal is a cluster of thirty-four stars, identifying Kansas as the 34th state to be accepted into the Union, with the state motto—"Ad Astra per Astera" ("To the Stars through Difficulties")—above the stars.

The state flag has remained basically unchanged since 1927, with the addition by legislation in 1961 of the word "Kansas" below the seal.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Kentucky state flag single

Kentucky's state flag, depicted on the 13-cent Kentucky State Flag stamp (Scott 1647), was authorized by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1918, but the flag's design was not approved until 1928. It was not until 1962 that the bill authorizing the design, colors, and specifications for the state's flag was finally passed into law.

The official state flag of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is navy blue with the seal of the Commonwealth encircled by a wreath, the lower half of which is goldenrod in bloom and the upper half bears the words "Commonwealth of Kentucky."

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Louisiana state flag single

In 1812 Louisiana became the eighteenth state to join the Union. The state flag originated with an 1800 design but was officially adopted by the Louisiana State Legislature in 1912. On a field of solid blue is displayed the state bird, the eastern brown pelican, from the state seal. The mother pelican is shown tearing flesh from her own breast to feed her three young. Louisiana's motto—"UNION, JUSTICE and CONFIDENCE"—is printed in blue letters on a white and gold banner below the pelicans.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Maine state flag single

On February 23, 1909, Maine adopted a state flag displaying its coat-of-arms against a blue field. The 13-cent Maine State Flag issue (Scott 1655) features an image of the flag .

The Maine state flag is the same blue color as that of the flag of the United States. A knotted yellow fringe edges the flag.

A pine tree, a moose, land, and sea appear on a shield in the coat-of-arms. Symbols of Maine's maritime and agricultural interests flank the shield—a seaman rests on an anchor and a farmer rests on a scythe. The shield's lower portion shows an image of water, and the upper section shows the sky. A huge pine tree stands for Maine's forests, and below the tree lies a moose, the state animal. The Maine state motto—"Dirigo" ("I lead")—is displayed beneath the North Star, Maine having been the northernmost state at the time of statehood. The state's name appears below the shield on a blue banner.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Maryland state flag single

The 13-cent Maryland State Flag issue (Scott 1639) bears the arms of the Calvert and Crossland families. Calvert was the family name of the Lords Baltimore, who founded Maryland, and their colors of gold and black appear in the first and fourth quarters of the flag. Crossland was the family of the mother of George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore. The red and white Crossland colors appear in the second and third quarters. Officially adopted in 1904, the Maryland state flag is the only state flag based on heraldic emblems.

This flag first was flown October 11, 1880, in Baltimore at a parade marking the 150th anniversary of the city's founding. It was then flown October 25, 1888, at Gettysburg battlefield for ceremonies dedicating monuments to Maryland regiments of the Army of the Potomac. In October 1889 the Fifth Regiment, Maryland National Guard adopted a flag in this form as its regimental color, becoming the first organization to adopt officially what is today the Maryland flag.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Massachusetts state flag single

The 13-cent Massachusetts State Flag issue (Scott 1638) depicts the Massachusetts coat-of-arms on a white field on both sides of the flag, a design approved on June 2, 1971, to take effect on November 1, 1971.

The coat-of-arms of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts consists of a blue shield with an Indian, Massachuset, dressed in a shirt, leggings, and moccasins. Massachuset holds a gold bow in one hand and a gold arrow in the other hand. The arrow points down to indicate a friendly demeanor.

In the upper right hand corner of the shield is a silver (designated as white) five-pointed star representing Massachusetts as one of the thirteen original colonies. Above the shield on a gold wreath is a right arm, bent at the elbow and grasping a gold broadsword.

The motto of the Commonwealth—"Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem" ("By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty")—is printed in gold on the blue ribbon partially surrounding the blue shield and supported by the ruffle- sleeved arm grasping a sword that is depicted above the shield.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Michigan state flag single

Adopted in 1911, the current Michigan state flag is the state's third official flag. The 13-cent Michigan State Flag issue (Scott 1658) depicts this flag, which displays the Michigan coat-of-arms on a field of blue.

The state shield features a lake with a yellow sun rising over blue waters. A man stands on a peninsula with one hand raised in a greeting of friendship while the other holds a rifle. An elk and a moose, representing Michigan, support the shield. A bald eagle, representing the U.S., hovers above the shield while grasping an olive branch and arrows in its talons.

Three mottos appear on the coat-of-arms: "E Pluribus Unum” (“From many, one”), "Tuebor” (“I will defend”), and "Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice” (“If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you”). "E Pluribus Unum," the national motto, aligns with the depiction of the bald eagle; "Tuebor" is represented in the arrows clasped in the eagle's talons and the gun held in the man's left hand; and, "Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice" is supported by the warmth of the sun, the man's friendly greeting from the peninsula, and the olive branches held by the bald eagle.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Minnesota state flag single

The 13-cent Minnesota State Flag stamp (Scott 1664) features an image of the flag adopted in 1893 and modified in 1957. The Minnesota state flag is a medium blue color with a narrow gold border and a gold fringe. A circular emblem with a white background and a yellow border appears centered in the blue field. An inner circle surrounds scenes from the Minnesota state seal within the circular emblem displayed on a field of identical medium blue.

The inner circle is surrounded by nineteen five-pointed stars representing Minnesota as the nineteenth state after the original thirteen colonies to join the Union. The stars are arranged in four groups of four stars and one group of three stars at the top of the circle. The top star represents the North Star; the five star groups represent a five-pointed star. The word "MINNESOTA" is printed in red letters below the inner circle.

Scenes from the Minnesota state seal appear within the inner circle. A barefoot farmer plows a field, his axe, gun, and powder horn on a stump; an Indian rides nearby. The field borders a river with a waterfall. These scenes are surrounded by intertwined pink and white lady slippers, the state flower, and a red ribbon.

Printed in gold letters on the red ribbon are the dates 1819, the year in which Fort Snelling was established, and 1893, the year that the flag was officially adopted. The state motto—"L'ETOILE DU NORD" ("Star of the North")—is also featured. Over the seal in gold letters is the date 1858, the date that Minnesota was admitted to the Union.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Mississippi state flag single

On February 7, 1894, the Mississippi State Legislature appointed a committee to design an official state flag. The flag, depicted on the 13-cent Mississippi State Flag stamp (Scott 1652), consists of the "union square" in the canton corner and a field divided into three bars of equal width—the top bar blue, the middle bar white, and the bottom bar, extending the entire width of the flag, red.

In the official wording of the legislation adopting the state flag, the Confederate Battle Flag in the canton corner is referred to as the "union square." The thirteen white stars on the cross (saltire) are ". . . corresponding with the number of the original States of the Union" rather than the thirteen states of the Confederate States of America. The field of the Mississippi flag consists of the same three bars of the first Confederate flag, the Stars and Bars, but the top stripe is blue. These three bars represent the 'national colors'.

In an overwhelming 2-1 vote on April 17, 2001, Mississippi voters rejected a series of design proposals intended to remove the representation of the Confederate Battle Flag from the canton corner of their state flag.

References:

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Missouri state flag single

The 13-cent Missouri State Flag stamp (Scott 1656) represents a design by Marie Elizabeth Watkins Oliver adopted as the official Missouri state flag on March 22, 1913, almost ninety-two years after Missouri became the Union's 24th state.

The rectangular flag bears three horizontal red, white, and blue stripes. The stripes represent valor, purity, vigilance, and justice. A circle is centered on the flag surrounded by a band of blue enclosing the Missouri coat-of-arms on a white background. The blue band displays a large star surrounded by twenty-three smaller stars representing Missouri as the 24th state.

The shield of the Missouri coat-of-arms includes (on the right) a bald eagle, which represents the federal government, grasping the olive branches of peace and the arrows of war in its talons. The shield's state side (the left) pictures a grizzly bear and a crescent moon. The shield is encircled by a belt inscribed "United we stand, divided we fall," which suggests the strength and advantage of unity among the states.

Two more grizzly bears, one on each side of the shield, echo the bravery and strength of the state's citizens. They stand on a scroll displaying the Missouri state motto—"Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto" ("Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law"). Below the scroll are the Roman numerals for 1820, the year that Missouri joined the Union.

Above the shield a helmet is depicted, representing Missouri as a sovereign state. A cloud around the large star represents the difficulties that Missouri endured on its way to statehood.

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Doug D'Avino

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