The Tennessee state flag, designed by LeRoy Reeves, features three white stars in a blue circle with white rings on a red background. The stars represent the state’s three geographic regions, and the colors symbolize loyalty to both the United States and Tennessee. The myth that the stars represent Tennessee as the third state admitted to the US has been debunked.
The Tennessee state flag was officially adopted on April 17, 1905. LeRoy Reeves, a soldier in the 3rd Tennessee Infantry Regiment, is credited with its design. The flag features three white stars in a blue circle with white rings, on a red background. A thick vertical blue stripe and a narrower inner vertical white stripe decorate the right end of the Tennessee state flag, presumably so that the colors red, white, and blue can all be seen on the flag when flown. The flag’s symbolism is said to pay homage to the United States of America, while also acknowledging Tennessee’s vast geographic diversity.
According to flag designer Reeves, the triple white stars depicted on the Tennessee state flag represent the three very different geographic regions of the state. Tennessee’s easternmost region is in the Great Smoky Mountains, where large-scale agriculture is generally impossible and where much of the state’s industrial production is located. The westernmost region of Tennessee typically consists of fertile farmland, and it is here that much of the state’s large-scale agriculture occurs. The central Tennessee region is neither entirely mountainous nor entirely flat and is considered a good place to raise cattle, mules and horses.
The colors of the state flag of Tennessee are the same as the national flag of the United States, out of respect for Tennessee’s loyalty to its nation. The red background of the flag represents the state’s loyalty to the United States, while the blue represents the loyalty of residents to the state of Tennessee. The white on the flag represents the residents’ purity of heart.
A popular myth about the meaning of the Tennessee state flag design typically states that the three stars on the flag represent the state of Tennessee as the third state — after the original 13 colonies — to be admitted to the United States. This myth is believed to stem from a little-researched National Geographic article originally published in late 1917. John Trotwood Moore, head of the Tennessee Department of Library, Archives, and History in 1920, is believed to have debunked this myth when interviewed the flag designer, LeRoy Reeves, about his intentions in designing the Tennessee flag with three white stars. Official state records preserve Reeves’ geographic explanation for his design of the Tennessee state flag.
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