Hoosier History Live is an independently produced new media project about Indiana history, integrating podcasts, website, newsletter, and social media, created and produced by Molly Head. Its original content comes initially from a live with call in weekly talk radio show hosted by author and historian Nelson Price. You can hear the show live Saturdays from noon to 1 pm ET. It’s over the air in Central Indiana at WICR 88.7 fm, or you can stream at the WICR HD1 app on your phone.
October 28, 2023
Indiana state flag: the back story
It may be easy to unfurl a flag, but there sure are a lot of twists in the story of how the current Indiana state flag became the official symbol. At one point, even the Stars and Stripes (a k a the American flag) was the official flag for the Hoosier state.
The backstory about the state flag and several untold, related stories are described in a new book, The Indiana Flag: Who Really Designed It?. The author, Morgan County resident David Reddick, will be Nelson's studio guest to dig into the history that he's unearthed about the blue and gold flag with the torch and 19 stars. (Refresher history tidbit: In 1816, Indiana became the 19th state to enter the country.)
Also during our show, David Reddick will share insights about the life and career of Paul Hadley (1880-1971), the watercolor artist from Mooresville credited with designing the state flag. According to folklore, Hadley won a contest sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1916. The actual story is more complicated, David Reddick says.
Since the 1880s, there actually have been multiple flags that have been designated as the official one for the state. According to David's book, the first flag was a rush job (and featured a buffalo) that was designed so the state would be represented by a symbol at the dedication of the Washington Monument in 1885 in Washington D.C.
In 1901, at the request of a Civil War veteran, the Indiana General Assembly adopted "Old Glory" (the Stars and Stripes) as Indiana's state flag. At the time, the U.S. flag featured only 45 stars because that's how many states were in the country, David Reddick notes. His book describes how a subsequent flag designed by another Civil War veteran, I.B. Arnold of Richmond, likely influenced Paul Hadley's final design. For many years, Paul Hadley's design was designated as the "state banner", not the official flag.
According to David's book, Paul Hadley was a "quiet, modest and dignified" nature lover with a Quaker background who never learned to drive a car. In the 1920s, he taught at what was then the Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis.
In Mooresville, which touts itself as "the home of the state flag" on monuments north and south of the town limits, a Paul Hadley Bicentennial Park was dedicated in 2016. The artist is recognized in Mooresville in other ways as well, including as the namesake of Paul Hadley Middle School, which opened as a junior high in 1966.
Our guest David Reddick is a former journalist and insurance industry executive. He served as Morgan County's representative for the Indiana Bicentennial when the state celebrated its 200th birthday in 2016.
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