Tennessee State Flag

Date adopted: Apr 17, 1905

The flag of Tennessee features a striking design with a red field and a blue strip bordered by white on the fly side. In the center, there's an emblem consisting of three white stars encircled by a blue ring, also bordered by white. This emblem is widely recognized and serves as the state's unofficial logo, appearing in the branding of Tennessee-based companies and sports teams. Initially proposed as the Civil War approached in 1861, Tennessee adopted its current flag design in 1905, created by Colonel Le Roy Reeves. The stars symbolize the state's three distinct Grand Divisions (East, Middle, and West Tennessee), with the blue circle representing their unity. The flag's design was intended to break up the crimson field, and while some have noted similarities to the Confederate flag, there's no direct evidence of this intention. State law specifies the arrangement of the stars on the flag, ensuring they are not in a straight line parallel to the flag's sides or ends, with the highest star closest to the upper confined corner. Interestingly, there was an amusing mishap in 1976 when the U.S. Postal Service issued a sheet of state flag stamps, including Tennessee's, which was illustrated upside down.