IOWA was almost 75 years old before the state banner was adopted by the Legislature. Creation of a state banner had been suggested for years by patriotic organizations, but no action was taken until World War I, when Iowa National Guardsmen stationed along the Mexican border suggested a state banner was needed. The Guardsmen said regiments from other states had banners and they felt one was needed to designate their unit. This prompted the state’s Daughters of the American Revolution to design a banner in 1917. The Legislature officially adopted the design in 1921.

IOWANS, with the memory of the Civil War still fresh in their minds, had not adopted a state banner because they felt a national banner was the only one needed. Approval of the banner was aided by patriotic organizations that launched a campaign to explain that a state banner was not meant to take the place of the national emblem.

THE BANNER, designed by Mrs. Dixie Cornell Gebhardt of Knoxville and a member of the D.A.R., consists of three vertical stripes of blue, white and red. Gebhardt explained that the blue stands for loyalty, justice, and truth; the white for purity; and the red for courage. On the white center stripe is an eagle carrying in its beak blue streamers inscribed with the state motto, “Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain.” The word Iowa is in red letters just below the streamers.

ALL SCHOOLS must fly the state banner on school days. The banner may be flown on the sites of public buildings. When displayed with the United States flag, the state banner must be flown below the national emblem.

If you’re interested in more history on Iowa, please take a look at CityOfWaterlooIowa.com.