|
On March 21, 1901 the Maine
State Legislature passed "An Act to Establish a State Flag." The flag
was to include a Pine Tree centered on a buff colored field. Equidistant
from the hoist and upper border of the flag a blue polar star was to be
displayed. Interestingly, on
February 23, 1909, the State Legislature adopted a new standard,
describing the state flag as a display of the Maine coat of arms on a
blue field. This is the flag in use today, more or less.
The Maine State Flag is blue, the
same blue color displayed by the flag of the United States. The size of
the flag is designated as four feet, four inches by five feet, six
inches. In the center of the flag, embroidered in silk, is the Maine
State coat of arms. The flag is edged with a knotted fringe of yellow
silk two and one-half inches wide.
The Maine State coat of arms
displays upon a shield, a pine tree, a moose, land and sea. Flanking the
shield, a seaman rests on an anchor and a farmer rests on a scythe.
Above the shield the Maine state motto, "Dirigo" (I lead), is displayed
in small upper case letters on a banner beneath the North Star. Below
the shield, on a blue banner, is the name of the state, "MAINE."
If you want more information on
the State Flags of the United States, you might want to check
How Proudly They Wave: Flags of the Fifty States by Rita D.
Haban. This book is geared toward kids... and for adults like me who
want to know about the history and design significance of the flags of
all fifty states but can't find this information in an expensive
encyclopedia. |