Brief History of the Kentucky State Flag

The flag of the Commonwealth of Kentucky was adopted in 1962. The flag consists of the seal of Kentucky on a blue field, surrounded by gold and white stapled rays. Below the seal is written “Commonwealth of Kentucky” in gold letters. The current flag is the fifth official flag of Kentucky.

The first official flag of Kentucky was adopted in 1792. The flag was white with a green tree in the middle and the words “Kentucky Constitution” written above it and “1792” written below it. In 1800, another official flag was adopted. This flag was green with thirteen stars arranged in a circle around a large star. The words “Kentucky I Expect You Will” were written on this flag.

In 1803, yet another official flag was adopted. This one featured two crossed arrows on a blue background with thirteen stars above it. This flag served as both the state and national flag until 1818 when Kentucky received official statehood and a new state seal was created.

The fourth official Kentucky state flag was used from 1818 until 1918. This flag featured the new state seal on a navy blue background with the word “Kentucky” above it and “1818” below it. In 1918, the word “Commonwealth” was added to the flag to reflect Kentucky’s status as a Commonwealth rather than a state.

The current official Kentucky state flag has been in use since 1962. As mentioned before, the current flag features the state seal on a blue background surrounded by stapled rays of gold and white with “Commonwealth of Kentucky” written below it in gold letters.

The history of the Kentucky state flag is reflective of both the history of the state itself as well as changes in flags nationwide. The first two flags were very similar to flags used by other states at the time while later flags began to develop a more unique look while still maintaining some similarities to other flags. The current flag has been in use for over 50 years and is an iconic symbol of both Kentucky history and pride.