Banner of Indiana (1917–1955)

Indiana adopted this design in 1917 as a state banner during the state’s centennial period. The winning design was created by Paul Hadley of Mooresville in a Daughters of the American Revolution-sponsored contest. The blue field symbolizes honor, peace, and loyalty, while the gold torch represents liberty, enlightenment, and progress. The thirteen outer stars refer to the original thirteen states, the five inner stars represent the next five states admitted before Indiana, and the larger star marks Indiana as the nineteenth state. In 1955, the state formally renamed the banner as the state flag and standardized its proportions.