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.