Indiana State Flag

What Is the Indiana State Flag?

The Indiana state flag is the official banner representing Indiana. A field of dark blue covers the entire flag. A gold torch appears at the center with rays radiating outward.

Nineteen five-pointed stars surround the torch. Thirteen stars form an outer ring. Five stars form an inner half-circle below the torch. One large star sits above the torch. The word Indiana appears in a half-circle above the large star.

Meaning of the Indiana State Flag

The Indiana state flag represents liberty and enlightenment through the torch symbol. The rays around the torch represent the far-reaching influence of these ideals. The design celebrates Indiana's role in the Union and its values of freedom.

The 19 stars represent Indiana's position as the 19th state to join the United States. The 13 outer stars symbolize the original Thirteen Colonies. The five inner stars represent the next five states admitted: Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Louisiana. The large star above the torch represents Indiana.

History of the Indiana State Flag

Indiana became the 19th state on December 11, 1816. The state had no official flag for its first 69 years. In 1885, each state was asked to dedicate a flag for the Washington Monument. Indiana lacked a state flag, so the government authorized Eliza Callis, the State Librarian, to produce the first Indiana state flag. This flag depicted the seal of Indiana wrapped in an oak leaf wreath.

In 1901, the Indiana General Assembly passed Senate Bill 239, making the flag of the United States the official state flag of Indiana. Governor Winfield Durbin signed the bill into law on March 9, 1901. This arrangement remained in statute until it was superseded by standardization of the Indiana state flag in 1955.

To commemorate Indiana's centennial in 1916, the Indiana General Assembly issued a resolution to adopt a new state flag. The Indiana Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution sponsored a design contest. The contest offered a $100 cash prize. More than 200 submissions were received.

Paul Hadley of Mooresville won the contest. The General Assembly made one change to Hadley's original design: they added the word Indiana in a crescent shape over the top of the large star. The flag became the official state banner on May 31, 1917. In 1955, a statute designated the banner as the state flag and standardized the dimensions to 2 by 3 units or 3 by 5 units.

Symbols of the Indiana State Flag

Indiana State Flag Colors

The Indiana state flag uses dark blue and gold. Indiana statute allows the torch and stars to be gold or buff. The statute does not provide exact color specifications. The Indiana Historical Bureau provides unofficial Pantone and hex values.

Indiana State Flag Facts

• Indiana adopted its flag on May 31, 1917
• Paul Hadley of Mooresville designed the winning flag
• The flag was created for Indiana's centennial in 1916
• More than 200 designs were submitted to the contest
• The flag was standardized in 1955
• The flag ranked 32nd out of 72 in a 2001 NAVA survey