Joint GWAV & CBFA Meeting 2010, Part V

John Purcell holding up an odd misprint
of the Ohio State flag that
requires some assembly with scissors

The final presentation was given by John Purcell, a former NAVA president and primary author of American City Flags - 150 Flags from Akron to Yonkers. Purcell's presentation was entitled Colors and Controversy: The Flags of Our 50 States - How Our States Got Flags and Why It Took So Long.

Purcell gave us an overview of the how the fifty states got their flags. For a good majority it was mostly due to need. At functions where state representatives met, in all sorts of events from athletic, social and political - the various delegations often needed a state flag to represent their group.

However each state flag has its own particular story. Some flags were not created for a caucus need, but rather for state pride and or historical reason.

I asked Purcell which state flag reflects the design of the US State flag the best? Before Purcell could respond several people volunteered an answer - 'Ohio, Texas, and Georgia.' But Purcell's choice of which state flag looks most like the federal flag was, "Hawaii."

An open question? - Which US State flag looks most like the US national flag? Ohio, Texas, Georgia, or Hawaii? Post your answers here!

TEXAS

Two big red and white stripes, Texas trumps the flag of North Carolina since NC has dates and letters on it.

HAWAII

Hawaii's basic design is like the US flag with a canton and stripes. But no stars and blue stripes? And a British Flag!


GEORGIA

13 Stars like the Betsy Ross design, and three big stripes. However its the design of the first Confederate Flag.



OHIO

Stars and stripes! but the shape is wrong and there is a red dot with a white circle around it?