The Arkansas state flag was designed in 1913 by Willie Hocker, featuring a white diamond on a red background with blue stars. The design was later changed to include the state name and an additional blue star to represent Arkansas’ time in the Confederate States of America. The colors red, white, and blue symbolize the state’s status as part of the USA, while the white diamond represents diamond mining and the 25 stars commemorate Arkansas’ status as the 25th state. The three blue stars represent Arkansas’ history with Spain, France, and the USA, as well as the year 1803 and the state’s status as the third state organized by the Louisiana Purchase Territory. The flag was redesigned in 1923 and 1924, with the current design featuring a pyramid of stars. The need for a state flag arose in 1912 when the Pine Bluff DAR requested a flag for the christening of the USS Arkansas.
The Arkansas state flag was officially adopted on February 26, 1913 and was originally designed by Jefferson County, Arkansas resident Mrs. Willie Hocker. Hocker’s design depicted a white diamond against a red background; a blue border, superimposed on 25 white stars, surrounded the white diamond. In the center of this diamond, Hocker placed three blue stars in a horizontal row. The state General Assembly voted to change the design by adding the state name, Arkansas, in the center of the white diamond, repositioning the blue stars to accommodate this change. Later, an additional blue star was added to the center of the white diamond, commemorating Arkansas’ time as part of the Confederate States of America.
The design of the Arkansas state flag is deeply symbolic of the state’s history. Hocker chose the colors red, white, and blue for the flag to symbolize its status as one of the United States (USA) of America, since the United States uses these colors on its national flag. The presence of the white diamond on the state flag reflects commercial diamond mining within the state. The 25 white diamonds used in the blue border commemorate Arkansas’ status as the 25th state admitted to the United States of America.
The three stars in the center of Hocker’s flag design simultaneously symbolize different aspects of Arkansas history. They represent the three nations, Spain, France and the United States, to which Arkansas has belonged during different parts of its history. They also represent the year 1803, in which the territory that would become Arkansas joined the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. The three stars also symbolize Arkansas’s status as the third state organized by the Louisiana Purchase Territory.
The General Assembly redesigned the state flag of Arkansas again in 1923, adding a fourth blue star to commemorate the state’s membership in the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. The 1923 design placed two blue stars above the name Arkansas on the state flag and two below it. The state flag of Arkansas was redesigned again in 1924, leaving a blue star above the state name, two blue stars below it on a horizontal line, and the fourth blue star below, so that the bottom three stars form a pyramid reversed. This design remains in use today.
The need for an Arkansas state flag is said to have become apparent in 1912, when the christening of the battleship USS Arkansas was imminent. The Pine Bluff, Arkansas chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) wrote to Secretary of State Earle W. Hodges to request a state flag to be presented to the captain of the battleship. When Hodges replied that there was no such flag at the time, the Pine Bluff DAR, with Hodges’ assistance, hosted a flag design contest, ensuring a state flag was ready in time for the christening of the state. ship.
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