Brief History of the North Carolina State Flag

The current North Carolina flag was adopted in 1885, but the history of the state’s flags goes back much further. The first official flag of North Carolina was actually not a flag at all, but a banner known as the “ Liberty Banner.” This banner was used during the American Revolutionary War and featured a blue background with a white crescent in the center.

In 1775, a new flag was created for North Carolina that featured a motif similar to that of the Liberty Banner. This flag, known as the “ Wilmington Flag,” featured a blue background with a white crescent and seven-pointed star in the center.

The Wilmington Flag was used until 1777 when it was replaced by the “1st NC Regiment Flag.” This flag featured a red background with a white saltire (a diagonal cross) in the center. The 1st NC Regiment Flag was used until 1780 when it was replaced by the “2nd NC Regiment Flag.” This flag was very similar to the 1st NC Regiment Flag, but featured a red background with a green rather than white saltire in the center.

In 1793, following the addition of Kentucky and Vermont to the United States, it became necessary to redesign the American flag to incorporate these new states. As part of this redesign, North Carolina decided to also add its state seal to its flag. The result was the “1793 NC State Flag,” which featured a blue background with the state seal in the center.

The 1793 NC State Flag remained in use until 1885 when it was replaced by the current North Carolina flag. The current North Carolina flag features a red background with a blue bars and white stars in the upper left corner and a white word “NORTH CAROLINA” in capital letters across the bottom.