Once Kentucky became part of the Union in 1792, the state adopted the 15-star flag of the Union. The U.S. flag was kept as the unofficial state flag for many years that followed. During the American Civil War, the flag of the Confederate States as well as the flag of the Union flew over Kentucky with prominence varying on location and the progression of the war.
The Kentucky state flag was designed by Jesse Cox Burgess, an art teacher in Frankfort, the state capital. The flag was adopted by the Kentucky General Assembly on March 26, 1918, and finalized the process by including a drawing in the statutes on 1928.
The flag consists of the Commonwealth’s seal on a navy blue field, surrounded by the words “Commonwealth of Kentucky” above and sprigs of goldenrod, the state flower, below. The seal depicts a pioneer and a statesman embracing. Popular belief claims that the buckskin-clad man on the left is Daniel Boone, who was largely responsible for the exploration of Kentucky, and the man in the suit on the right is Henry Clay, Kentucky’s most famous statesman. However, the official explanation is that the men represent all frontiersmen and statesmen, rather than any specific persons. The state motto: “United We Stand, Divided We Fall” circles them. The motto comes from the lyrics of “The Liberty Song”, a patriotic song from the American Revolution.
The State Nickname – The Bluegrass State:
Kentucky’s nickname is The Bluegrass State, based on the fact that bluegrass is found in many of the lawns and pastures throughout the state, particularly in the northern part of Kentucky .
“Bluegrass” is the common name for grass of the genus Poa, which is a favored lawn and pasture grass in the eastern United States from Tennessee northward. Bluegrass is actually green – but in the spring bluegrass produces bluish-purple buds that give a rich blue cast to the grass when seen in large fields. Early pioneers found bluegrass growing on Kentucky’s rich limestone soil and traders began asking for the seed of the “blue grass from Kentucky.”
The Bluegrass Region, which extends into southern Ohio, is characterized by underlying fossiliferous limestone, dolomite, and shale of the Ordovician geological age. Hills are generally rolling, and the soil is highly fertile for growing pasture.
However, the area is becoming increasingly developed with residential and commercial properties, particularly around Lexington. Farms are losing ground to this development and are slowly disappearing. This has led the World Monuments Fund to include the Bluegrass Region on its global list of 100 most endangered sites.
Next up is the 16th state to join the United States: Tennessee