Does Illinois have a state flag? Yes officially that is, but the creation of the
Illinois state flag came very late in its history. How? Illinois became a state of the union in 1818, yet it was only in 1915 or 100 years later that its official state symbol was realized. And credit should be given to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) for their effort in the making of the state flag.
A meeting was held in 1915 in Washington D.C. among the national chapters of the DAR, and each state had been represented alongside their state flags. On her part Ella Park Lawrence, a resident of Galesburg, Illinois the official representative to the national convention found out to her dismay that Illinois does not have an official state flag. Thus the frantic move to create the state flag of Illinois was put into motion.
With a 25 dollar price a statewide search for the winning design was relayed to all DAR chapters across Illinois. The entry from Rockford Center won, designed by Lucy Derwent based on the state's official seal.
The official state flag had a white background and a bald eagle perched on a gray rock with dates 1818 and 1868 written across it. 1818 represents the year Illinois was admitted into the union, while 1868 was the year the official state seal was adopted. The beak of the bald eagle holds a red ribbon with the State Motto, "State sovereignty, national union" and a red, white and blue shield was added tilted against the rock. It is actually an ape of the national flag with 13 stripes and 13 stars.
Then in 1970 the word Illinois in blue was added to the state flag.
by:
The Flagman
