The Flag of Kentucky was originally adopted in 1918 and was finalized in its present form in 1928. The flag is a relatively simple design; it is made up of little more than the seal of Kentucky placed upon a field of blue. Unbeknown to most, Kentucky is not officially classified as a state in the United States of America. Kentucky is a commonwealth, just as is Pennsylvania, Virginia and Massachusetts.

The Flag of Kentucky was originally designed by an art teacher named Jesse Cox who resided in Frakfort, Kentucky. In the center of Mr. Cox’s flag is the seal of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Depicted in the Commonwealth’s seal are two men who appear to be shaking hands. By most accounts, the man on the left of the seal is meant to be Daniel Boone, who was most responsible for exploring Kentucky. On the right stands who is believed to be Henry Clay, Kentucky’s most famous statesman. Officially, however, the seal is meant to symbolize all frontiersmen and statesmen, rather than anyone specific. Encircling the two men on the seal are the words “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”, with “United We Stand” positioned on top and “Divided We Fall” on the bottom. These words are derived from “The Liberty Song”, which was a popular patriotic song during the American Revolution.

Around the entire seal on the Kentucky Flag sit the words “Commonwealth of Kentucky” on top, along with a peculiar design on the bottom. At first glance, the design at the bottom looks utterly meaningless, but it does indeed have a bit of symbolism attached. The design is meant to represent the Goldenrod, the state flower of the state of Kentucky. The Kentucky Flag was officially recognized as the state’s flag on March 26, 1918 by the Kentucky General Assembly.