Vermont's state flag established 100 years ago as symbol of state's distinct identity
The Vermont state flag is turning 100 this year.
With a simple blue background and the Vermont coat of arms emblazoned in the middle, the Vermont state flag has represented the state around the world and even beyond Earth. It has been to the top of Mount Everest, the North Pole, the moon twice, and was on the Challenger when it exploded in 1986. The flag was the third iteration of the state banner since the beginning of Vermont's statehood according to records kept at the Vermont Historical Society. The history of the flag tells the story of a state coming into its own.
From stars and stripes ...
Although Vermont became a state in 1791, it did not have an official state flag until 1803. The first flag looked a lot like the United States flag at the time, with 17 stars and 17 stripes for the 17 states and the word Vermont at the top. The U.S. flag added stars and stripes for each state until around 1818 when they stuck to 13 stripes and added a star for each state.
Andrew Liptak, public relations and guest services coordinator at the Vermont Historical Society, said no one really knows why Vermont picked this original pattern.
"We don't really know much about what the minutes were or what the discussions were," he said.
He said the state Legislature likely picked a flag for official purposes and perhaps as young state in a young nation, picked the stars and stripes for solidarity.
The second iteration of the flag came in 1837. It had 13 stripes and in the blue area where stars used to be, a single star with the Vermont coat of arms in it.
According to newspaper clippings and a history of the state flag written in 1961, the first two versions of the Vermont state flag were never flown outside state buildings or known widely amongst Vermonters. They were also not used in any battles in which Vermonters took part.
To cows and pines
The state flag Vermonters know today was voted as the official state flag in March 1923, the law going into effect June 1, 1923. It was first known as the "governor's flag" because a similar flag was used by the governor on ceremonial occasions but was never codified into law.
The design also came from flags flown in the Civil War. Due to the lack of knowledge and visibility of Vermont's state flag until 1923, many Vermonters flew regimental flags from the Civil War to show state pride. One of the popular designs was the Vermont coat of arms on a solid background, much like the state flag today.
"There appears to be no sentiment connected with the present state flag but I believe there would be with the proposed one as it means something."
− Burlington Free Press writer, 1923
The flag has the Vermont coat of arms as its main focal point, a landscape scene framed in gold with a large pine tree of 14 branches, one cow, three sheaths of wheat in the foreground and mountains and forest in the background. The state motto, "Freedom and Unity" and "Vermont" are scrawled at the bottom.
Ira Allen designed the official seal of Vermont in 1779 as a wood cutting, and artists then embellished upon it to create the Vermont coat of arms. The boughs represent Vermont being the 14th state and the cows and wheat represent Vermont's agricultural strengths.
'Distinct flag for a distinct state'
In 1923, Vermonters were ready to set themselves apart and approve a new official flag. Sen. Allie Ball sold the idea to his fellow lawmakers as a "distinct flag for a distinct state" according to a clipping from the Bennington Evening Banner.
The Rutland Daily Herald recorded the progress of the bill in 2023, noting that a speech Ball had made on the Fourth of July was what gave momentum to the bill establishing a new state flag. The clipping reads:
"Allie Ball's state flag bill has passed peacefully through the House and now when it's signed we shall have an official emblem that means something instead of the nondescript designs that have passed muster therefor."
Contact Urban Change Reporter Lilly St. Angelo at lstangelo@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @lilly_st_ang.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont state flag turns 100: History from Civil War to North Pole