The next state in this series is Pennsylvania, the very state out of which US Flag Store is based. Number two in the union, Pennsylvania became a state just days after Delaware did, on December 12, 1787.
Pennsylvania’s flag was officially adopted in 1907. The flag has a dark blue background with two harnessed draft horses holding the state’s coat of arms that hold the state seal. Inside it are a ship, a plow, 3 sheaves of wheat, with a bald eagle sitting on top of it. Below is a stalk of corn, an olive branch, and a draped red ribbon bearing the words, “Virtue, Liberty, and Independence.” The coat of arms was of the Penn family after which Pennsylvania was named. This symbol first appeared on the currency that was issued by the state in 1777 until two years later when it was taken and added to the state flag.
Pennsylvania is currently the sixth most populous state in the US with a 2013 population estimate of 12,773,801. While Harrisburg is the capital, Philadelphia is the most populous city in Pennsylvania with an estimate of 1,553,165 compared to Harrisburg with just 49,188.
This state is rich in American history. The Liberty Bell is located at The Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the symbols of the United States, this bell has the eponymous crack. How did it get this crack? In 1752, when the bell first arrived in Philadelphia and was cracked during a test strike. Fun Fact: The Liberty Bell is composed of exactly 70% copper, 25% tin, and bits of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold, and silver, weighing at 2,080 pounds.
Another historic site is Independence Hall, which is visited by millions each year and open every day of the year. Independence Hall is the birthplace of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and America itself. Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed in the Assembly Hall. Fun Fact: George Washington actually ran his two terms as President from Philadelphia.
Did you know? The blue in the Pennsylvania state flag is the same shade of blue that is used in the US Flag!
~CD
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