Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Arkansas Flag History

By Tom Keating


The Arkansas flag was created in 1913 when the Battleship U.S.S. Arkansas was commissioned. The Daughters of the American Revolution discovered that there was no state flag to present to ship with (presenting a flag to ships was traditional). They decided to hold a flag designing competition. Miss Willie Hocker of Wabbaseka designed the winning flag which looked much like the flag we fly today. The original flag was a white diamond on a red field bordered by twenty-five white stars on a blue band.

Three blue stars in a straight line were centered in the diamond. Miss Hocker explained that the three colors (red, white and blue) designated Arkansas as a member of the Union. The diamond shape signified Arkansas as the only state in North America where diamonds had been found and mined. The three stars in the center of the diamond had three meanings.

The center of the diamond bears the name of the state, i.e, Arkansas, written in prominent capital letters. Right below the name of the state, there are 3 stars and another star is placed centrally on the top of the name. The symbolism of Arkansas Flag can be explained in the following manner. The colors red, blue and white link the state of Arkansas with the USA.

The topmost single star above the name stands for the membership of Arkansas to the Confederate States of America. The 3 blue colored stars below the name are symbols for France, Spain, and the US, the countries to which Arkansas had belonged. There are also 2 stars parallel to the state name, that symbolize the twin states of Michigan and Arkansas.

Miss Willie Hocker designed the state flag of Arkansas as part of a flag contest in 1913. Arkansas's state nickname is the Natural State. The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 and this transaction was called the Louisiana Purchase. Arkansas was the third state to be created from that land.

There is a barrage of cheap and inferior Arkansas flags being imported and sold, that do not comply with the flag statute. This is bad for a number of reasons. Imported flags are cheaply made and more importantly, the designs, materials, colors, and methods of printing do not compare well with the better quality, longer-lasting, and correctly designed flags made by American manufacturers. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize the history of Arkansas flag for the future.




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