The Louisiana State Flag

 Baton Rouge, LA

The Pelican Flag

The Pelican Flag

I really like the Louisiana State Flag but I haven't seen it everywhere like I saw the Maryland Flag.  I am not sure if it just blends into the environment more or if it is just flown less and on fewer things here.  

The Louisiana State Flag was officially adopted on July 1st 1912 as Louisiana celebrated its centennial year of statehood, the State Legislature adopted the flag design depicting a pelican vulning herself.  The law only specified that the pelican should be white and didn't specify any other details about the flag so early on flags varied quite a bit.  

During the 19th century it was traditional for the pelican in her piety to have drops of blood on her chest.  What is this?  Well, The Physiologus, a Greek didactic Christian text from the 3rd or 4th century claimed that pelicans kill their young when they grow by striking them in the face.  The mother then laments them for 3 days after which she strikes her side and brings them back to life with her own blood.  In 2006 an eighth-grader brought it to the attention of the state legislator that the flag wasn't consistent.  This led to a new guidelines for the flag which stated "From here forth, our flag must show three drops of blood.  No more, no less.  Three shall be the number of drops, and the number of drops shall be three.  Four drops shalt not appear, neither two, except in the event a third drop is to be added immediately.  Five drops is right out." 

Since 2006 the official flag has changed 2 more times updating to a more sophisticated pelican.  

Most of the info I got came from Wikipedia. I will be looking out more for the flag as we travel around the next month and a half.  

That's it for today.  If you missed yesterday's post you can find it here.

The Maryland State Flag

Baltimore, MD

The Maryland State Flag at The Maryland Center for History and Culture

The Maryland State Flag

You can visit many states and not really notice the state flag.  Yes there are different flags flying above buildings than the ones that fly above buildings in your home state but the flag isn't everywhere you look.  Not the case in Maryland.  The Maryland State Flag is EVERYWHERE.  It's on flag poles, clothing, stickers, license plates, worked into logos, and just plastered everywhere.  I have only visited one other state where the flag has been so prevalent and that is Colorado.  The Maryland State flag is very striking and doesn't blend in so it stands out but what does it mean?  How did it come about and why does it look like 4 flags with 2 different patterns just sewn together?  That is what we will explore in this post.

Maryland had no official flag until 1904.  By The Civil War the most common flag flown for Maryland was the state seal on a blue background.

BORING!

The two parts of Maryland's flag bear the arms of the Calvert family and Crossland family. 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, first Lord Baltimore. The red and white Crossland colors, with a cross bottony (the cross with the shape on each end), appear in the second and third quarters.

Maryland was a divided state during the Civil War.  Even though it was a slave state, it chose not to secede.  Marylanders fighting for The Union Army carried banners with the Calvert Colors (The Black and Yellow Checkered pattern on the flag today).  Marylanders fighting for The Confederate Army carried The Red and White Crossland Arms Flag representing secession colors.  In the 1880s the current Maryland flag began to appear in public taking the Calvert and Crossland colors and merging them into one flag representing unity amongst Marylanders.

Today you can buy the flag on a wide range of things.  

That's it for today.  If you missed yesterday's post you can find it here.