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West Virginia’s state flag features the state flower, the rhododendron, and the state coat of arms, depicting a miner and a farmer standing on either side of a rock inscribed with the state’s date of statehood. The flag also includes crossed rifles and a Phrygian cap, symbolizing the state’s struggle for autonomy during the Civil War. The flag was adopted in 1929, but the first version was used in 1905 after being displayed at the 1904 Saint Louis World’s Fair.
The West Virginia state flag was officially adopted on March 7, 1929, after undergoing several changes to its overall design. The first flag used to represent the state of West Virginia is believed to be the one displayed at the 1904 Saint Louis World’s Fair. This white flag with a blue border had an image of West Virginia’s official state flower, the rhododendron, from one side and a representation of the state coat of arms on the other. The state legislature adopted this flag as the official state flag of West Virginia on February 24, 1905. The flag adopted in 1929 displays both of these images together on one side of the flag: the rhododendron branches comprise the state coat of arms and a red banner above the coat of arms reads “State of West Virginia”.
The West Virginia state coat of arms dates to September 1863, approximately three months after West Virginia became a state on June 20, 1863. The state coat of arms, as it appears on the West Virginia state flag, depicts a miner and a farmer , representing the state’s two primary industries. They are shown standing on either side of a rock, representing fortitude and endurance. The rock is inscribed with the date June 20, 1863, commemorating the anniversary of the state’s change of status.
In the foreground are two crossed rifles surmounted by a Phrygian cap. This cap is generally recognized as a symbol of freedom in American culture. A ribbon in the foreground bears the Latin motto of the state, “Montani Semper Liberi” or “Alpinists are always free.”
West Virginia became a state during the American Civil War. Before the war, the territory that would later become West Virginia was considered part of the state of Virginia. These western counties were, however, very different geographically, socially, and economically from the state of Virginia’s eastern counties, and residents of the western portion of the state largely disagreed with Virginia state government policies. When Virginia seceded from the United States at the start of the Civil War, its western counties voted to secede. President Abraham Lincoln granted these counties autonomous status.
The symbolism of the West Virginia state flag is intended to respect the state’s early history of conflict. The appearance of the Phrygian cap and crossed rifles on the West Virginia state flag represent the state’s struggle for autonomy against Confederate forces and its commitment to freedom.
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