There’s a long and interesting history behind the Vermont flag. Like all states, Vermont has an official flag. It features Vermont’s coat of arms and motto against a blue background. In 1923, Vermont began to recognize this design as its official design. You can now find the Vermont flag displayed in front of countless homes and businesses throughout the Green Mountain State.
The Green Mountain Boys Flag
While the current version was adopted in 1923, the Vermont flag has been around for much longer. The earliest version of the Vermont flag is the Green Mountain Boys flag. Also known as the Stark flag, it was carried and used by a Vermont militia known as the Green Mountain Boys.
The Green Mountain Boys flag dates back to 1777. Unlike the current design of the Vermont flag, it didn’t feature the state’s coat or arms or motto. Instead, the Green Mountain Boys flag featured a set of 13 stars with a blue canton in the upper-left corner. The rest of the Green Mountain Boys flag was green.
The First Official Version of the Vermont Flag
The first official version of the Vermont flag was adopted in 1804. It proceeded the Green Mountain Boys flag. The first official version of the Vermont flag, however, was expected to be the American flag at the time. There were 17 states at the time, so it was believed that the American flag would be updated to feature 17 stars and 17 stripes. Vermont adopted this same design for its official flag, with the only difference being the addition of “VERMONT” at the top of the flag.
The American flag was, in fact, updated, but the new design didn’t mimic that of the Vermont flag. The updated American flag featured 17 stars and only 13 stripes. Nonetheless, Vermont continued to use this design as its official flag for many years.
The Second Official Version of the Vermont Flag
The second official version of the Vermont flag was adopted in 1837. In response to the American flag retaining its original 13 stripes, Vermont updated the design of its flag to feature 13 stripes as well. The second official version of the Vermont flag also removed the stars and replaced them with the coat of arms.
Vermont continued to use this design until 1923. During this year, the Vermont General Assembly switched to the current design as the state’s official flag. You can see an example of the current version of the Vermont flag in the photo above.
