Pennsylvania (U.S.)

Last modified: 2003-09-27 by rick wyatt
Keywords: pennsylvania | united states |
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by Mario Fabretto, 24 February 1998

• Description
• Governor's Flag
• State Military Crest
  
  
• Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

See also:

• Allegheny City
• Athens Borough
• Clearfield County
• Easton
• Erie
• Frankliin
• Montgomery County
• Philadelphia
• Pittsburgh
• Scranton
• Westmoreland County
  
  
• Pennsylvania Symbols
• Pennsylvania Colonial/Rev. War Flags - Philadelphia Light Horse...
• Historical Flags
• United States of America
• States of the United States

One of the original 13 colonies, Pennsylvania is represented by a star and a stripe on the 13 star U.S. flags.

The first Pennsylvania State flag, which bore "The arms Pennsylvania worked thereon", was adopted by the Executive Council in 1778. It was used to identify the State's wharf in Philadelphia. The flag is listed several times in the inventory of State property in the custody of the watchman. (Background color is not stated, however one theory is that the The background may have been red. This would be in keeping with the red background of the majority of surviving PA revolutionary colors. And, the red facings authorized for PA troops in 1779. Note: many but not all of the surviving Revolutionary War colors do have backgrounds which match their 1779 facings.)

Also, in the late 17th century the Mayor of Philadelphia paid for a flag for the Province of Pennsylvania to be used upon the return of Governor Penn from a visit to Antigua. (Design unknown)

From Pennsylvania Emblems Page:
Pennsylvania's State Flag is composed of a blue field on which is embroidered with the State Coat of Arms. The blue, which is the same blue in the United States' Flag, signifies Justice and Loyalty. During the Civil War, many Pennsylvania regiments carried flags modeled after the U.S. Flag, but substituted Pennsylvania's Coat of Arms for the field of stars. An act of the General Assembly of June 13, 1907, standardized the flag and required that the blue field match the blue of Old Glory.

Jim Ferrigan, 11 December 2002

by Mario Fabretto, 26 February 2000

White with the state coat of arms on the center [smi75a].
Joe McMillan, 19 February 2000

by Joe McMillan, 21 April 2000

The state military crest, which is the crest used in the coats of arms of units of the National Guard, as granted by the precursor organizations of what is now the Army Institute of Heraldry. The official Institute of Heraldry blazon is "A lion rampant guardant proper holding in dexter paw a naked scimitar argent hilted or and in sinister an escutcheon argent on a fess sable three plates. [Based on the arms of William Penn, founder of the colony of Pennsylvania.]"
Joe McMillan, 21 April 2000