Flag of Arkansas

Arkansas had no state flag until 1913. A Pine Bluff chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution wanted to give the battleship USS Arkansas a stand of colors before its commissioning. They asked secretary of state Earle E. Hodges for the state flag. He had to inform them no such flag existed.

Hodges chaired a committee to run a statewide design contest. Sixty-five entries arrived, ranging from crayon drawings to miniature silk flags. The committee chose a submission from Willie Kavanaugh Hocker of Wabbaseka, Jefferson County. On February 26, 1913, the General Assembly adopted her red, white, and blue diamond design as the official state flag.

The design changed twice after adoption. In 1923, a fourth star was added to the diamond. A special session in 1924 rearranged all four stars into the current layout.

Arkansas's flag uses red, white, and blue, intentionally matching the colors of the U.S. flag.

The lone blue star above the state name was not part of Hocker's 1913 design. The General Assembly added it in 1923 to represent Arkansas's membership in the Confederate States of America. A 1924 special session moved it above the state name, separated from the three stars below.

Calls to remove the star or reinterpret its meaning have continued in recent years. The Arkansas Code describes the upper star as representing the Confederacy. Some legislators and civic groups have proposed returning to the 1913 three-star design. No amendment has passed.