Iowa State Flags

At the beginning of the 20th century, many U.S. states adopted their first official flags. As various chapters had done in a number of other states, the Daughters of the American Revolution took an active role in creating a state flag for Iowa. Iowa was admitted as a State of the Union on December 28, 1846.

Iowa State Flag Design?

The flag of the state of Iowa is a vertical tricolor of blue, white, and red. The image of a bald eagle with a long ribbon reading "Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain", derived from the Seal of Iowa, is centered in the middle white stripe. The word "Iowa" is placed directly below it in red, serifed majuscules.

You can still view the original flag design, in crayon, which is on display in the Marion County courthouse.

When was the Iowa State Flag Adopted?

Prior to becoming an official state flag, Gebhardt's design was an Iowa regimental banner, a Daughters of the American Revolution project. At that time, Iowa's guardsmen were doing military duty along the Mexican border, and had no state banner to signify their regiment, as had the other state regiments serving there. It was first approved in May 1917, by the Iowa State Council for Defense. Iowa was almost 75 years old before the state banner was adopted by the Legislature in 1921.

Who designed the Iowa State Flag?

The Iowa flag was designed by Mrs. Dixie Cornell Gebhardt, of the Daughters of the American Revolution of Iowa. She was a resident of Knoxville, Iowa. The flag design was in response to Iowa national Guardsmen stationed at the Mexican border during WWI that requested an emblem of Iowa to represent their unit.

What does the Iowa State Flag represent?

The blue stripe stands for loyalty, justice and truth; the white stripe for purity and the unwritten history when the state began with Indians and the first Americans living on its prairies; and the red stripe for courage. Mothers feel that "Iowa" in the color of blood is a symbol of sacrifice our boys may make for us.

Gebhardt chose the colors of the Iowa State Flag for historical reasons. Iowa was under French rule twice before becoming a state. Similar to France's own national flag, were chosen to signify France's part in what is now Iowa. By combining the eagle, a symbol of our nation, and the state's motto, Gebhardt wanted to convey the fact that Iowa is now an integral part of the United States.

Gebhardt wrote that "Iowa's banner should embrace the history of its domain from the time of its occupation by the Indians to discovery by the French and purchase from Napoleon by Jefferson, to its admission into the Union, down to the present time. All this should be represented in a design so simple that school children and adults can recognize its symbolism and know that it meant Iowa."

Displaying the Iowa State Flag?

Iowa State Flag Day

The following information was excerpted from The Iowa Code, Title 1, Subtitle, 1, Chapter 1C.

The governor of this state is hereby requested and authorized to issue annually a proclamation designating the twenty-ninth day of March as "Iowa State Flag Day" and to urge that schools, civic organizations, governmental departments, and all citizens and groups display the Iowa state flag on that day and to reflect on and consider the heritage of the state flag.

Display of United States flag and Iowa state flag

The following information was excerpted from The Iowa Code, Title 7, Subtitle 6, Chapter 280.

The board of directors of each public school district and the authorities in charge of each nonpublic school shall provide and maintain a suitable flagstaff on each school site under its control, and the United States flag and the Iowa state flag shall be raised on all school days when weather conditions are suitable.