The 1901 Maine State Flag

It is Flag Day and todays post is about Maine's first official state flag.  For the first 81 years of its statehood, Maine did not have an official state flag.  The various Maine State Militia each had their own flags and they carried them into the Civil War.  

Perhaps the most famous is the 20th Maine's flag which Joshua Chamberlain fought under.

Finally, in March of 1901, Maine adopted its first flag design. "The State Flag is hereby declared to be buff charged with the emblem of the State, a pine tree proper in the center and the polar star (a mullet of five points), in blue in the upper corner.  The star to be equidistant from the hoist and upper border of the flag, the distance from the two borders to the center of the star equal to about one quarter the hoist.  This distance and size of the star being proportionate to the size of the flag." 

A flag variation.

That sounded pretty precise but flag makers of the time felt free to do their own interpretations, like this one.  The pine tree had been used on earlier flags to represent New England during the Revolution.  The star represents the North Star, which guided many Maine mariners over the centuries.  The North Star also guided many slaves north to freedom.  The Underground Railroad ran through parts of Maine providing a link to Canada.  With Maine gaining its statehood through the infamous Missouri Compromise it seems fitting.  Later, Maine would adopt the slogan "Dirigo", Latin for "I lead".  The star surely did that for hundreds of people but Dirigo might also refer to the fact that at one time Maine was the only state to hold its elections in September, leading the country in voters exercising their civic duty.  In 1957, Maine changed the law moving elections to November.

Only one existing copy of the flag from the 1900s is known to exist today. It is a small silk flag made about 1908 by the A. Kimball Co. of New York, likely made for the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition which was held in 1909. There are three known copies of this flag, one in San Francisco, Maryland, and Maine. 

The original 1901 design.

The current Maine State flag, adopted in 1909, shows the state seal on a blue background, very similar to 26 other state flags.  Some have made an attempt to return to the original state flag but have failed to garner legislative support for the effort.  Now, with Maine's Bicentennial, there is another swelling of support for the original design.  A Portland company is making them and you can order one.  It is a great way to support a Maine business and pay tribute to Maine history.   You can see a video of the company hand sewing the flags at this link, Maine Flag Company.

PPHS Update

Dear Members and Supporters of the Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society- 

We are living in times which will go down in history. Are you recording your stories of how the Covid-19 Pandemic affected you and your families? Someday our descendants may look back and wonder how we were affected by the virus and how we coped. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned. Please, for history’s sake, consider keeping a journal to share with future historians. I would like to tell you how the pandemic is affecting the Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society and how we, the officers of the organization, decided to respond to the virus.

 We had begun plans to focus on Maine’s Bicentennial Celebration. A 200 year-old birthday is a momentous event!  We had plans for programs, a major exhibit, etc. etc. when it all came to a screeching halt this spring with the “STAY AT HOME’ orders from Governor Mills and it seemed the wise thing to do. But still, decisions must be made. And now, as we enter tentative stages of some businesses and organizations re-opening with many precautions and changes in services, we decided it was time to make some decisions about the activities of Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society this summer and so we met on Tuesday, May 26 to discuss our course of action.  Here is what we decided: 

Because we are concerned about the health and safety of all of you, we decided to postpone most of our planned exhibits, open houses, programs, the yard sale, the quilt raffle, etc. until next season with a few possible exceptions. The exceptions that we are considering are to continue our open houses at the Porter Meeting House and the Parsonsfield Old Town House with precautions that include face masks and regulated traffic flow in one door and out the other. We also decked out History House with bunting and Maine’s Bicentennial Flag to commemorate the state’s 200^th birthday.  Check it out!   We also decided to take advantage of the lull in activities at History House to get some much-needed repairs and renovation work done on the building.

We will remain available to respond to questions and queries as best we can. You can email us at pphs@parsonsfieldporterhistorical.org. And we would appreciate everyone renewing their membership and possibly giving a little extra if you can. Dues are $10 per person, $15 per couple, $5 for students under 18.  Checks can be sent to:

Treasurer, Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society, PO Box 250, Parsonsfield, ME 04047.

I thank you for your understanding.

Stay safe.

Lyn Sudlow, President

Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society