Nebraska (U.S.)

Last modified: 2021-05-15 by rick wyatt
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image by Clay Moss, 4 February 2008

• History of the State Flag
• Legal Description
• State Military Crest
• Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial Flag

See also:

• County and Municipal flags of Nebraska
• Nebraska Government and Department seals
• Airports in Nebraska
• United States of America
• States of the United States
  

In 1867, a star was added, representing Nebraska, bringing the total number of stars on the U.S. flag to 37. There were thirteen stripes representing the thirteen original colonies.

History of the Nebraska State Flag

From: http://www.state.ne.us/home/SOS/htm/flag.htm

In 1921, a state flag design by a New York Architect was presented to the Legislature, but was turned down as being inappropriate. Nebraska was one of the last states to adopt a State Flag. Representative, J. Lloyd McMaster introduced a bill in 1925, designating a State Banner. The bill was passed and became statute. The law describes the banner as "a reproduction of the Great Seal of the State charged on the center in gold and silver on a field of national blue." The 1963 Legislature designated the state banner the official flag of Nebraska. The 1965 Legislature amended Section 84-714 Revised Statutes of Nebraska to add "and may be displayed on such occasions, at such times, and under such conditions as the Flag of the United States of America. The State Flag shall be displayed on or near the State Capitol, the Governor's Mansion, all Courthouses, City or Village Halls, Schoolhouses, and other public administrative buildings in the State under or to the left of the Flag of the United States of America." The original State Flag is currently hanging in the Secretary of State's office for the viewing pleasure of the public.

Legal Description

Nebraska Statutes
90-102. State banner; design; legend described; official state flag; when and where displayed. The banner of the State of Nebraska shall consist of a reproduction of the Great Seal of the State, charged on the center in gold and silver on a field of national blue.

84-501. Secretary of State; Great Seal; custodian. The Secretary of State shall safely keep and not suffer to be imitated or counterfeited the Great Seal of the State of Nebraska of the form and design prescribed by the Act approved June 15, 1867, as follows:

"Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Nebraska, That the Secretary of State be, and he is hereby authorized and required to procure, at the cost and expense of the state, and as soon after the passage of this act as practicable, a seal for the state, to be designated and known as the Great Seal of the State of Nebraska, and of the design and device following, that is to say: The eastern part of the circle to be represented by a steamboat ascending the Missouri river; the mechanic arts to be represented by a smith with hammer and anvil; in the foreground, agriculture to be represented by a settler's cabin, sheaves of wheat and stalks of growing corn; in the background a train of cars heading towards the Rocky Mountains, and on the extreme west, the Rocky Mountains to be plainly in view; around the top of this circle to be in capital letters, the motto. 'EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW,' and the circle to be surrounded with the words, 'Great Seal of the State of Nebraska, March 1st, 1867.' "

State Military Crest

image by Joe McMillan, 21 April 2000

The state military crest, which is the crest used in the coats of arms of units of the National Guard, as granted by the precursor organizations of what is now the Army Institute of Heraldry. The official Institute of Heraldry blazon is "An ear of corn in full ear partially husked proper. [Nebraska is nicknamed the Cornhusker State.]"
Joe McMillan, 21 April 2000

Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial Flag

image by Randy Young, 7 February 2016

In "The Grand Island Independent", 11 May 2009, Sarah Schulz reported the dedication ceremony of the Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial, held on 11 May 2009 in Grand Island, including a description of the Memorial flag:
"The memorial flag [...] is white with the outline of the state around two shrouded badges and a red rose with a blue line across the middle."

As shown on the video feed of the ceremony (1:40) and the image gallery, both available with the article, the flag has indeed a red writing "NEBRASKA LAW / ENFORCEMENT MEMORIAL" below the logo.

Source: www.theindependent.com
Ivan Sache, 12 May 2009

The Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial is a monument on the grounds of Fonner Park in Grand Island, Nebraska, that honors state and local law enforcement officers whose lives were lost in the line of duty. The memorial was dedicated on 11 May 2009 and consists of dark granite tablets with the names of fallen officers. (www.nememorial.org)

Three tall flagpoles at the memorial fly the American flag, the Nebraska state flag, and the flag of the Memorial itself, which can be seen on the Memorial's website. The flag features the logo of the Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial centered on a white field. The logo itself shows the outline of the state of Nebraska with a single red rose in the center, flanked by a gold sheriff's badge on the left and a gold police badge on the right, both with a black mourning stripe across them. There is a thin blue stripe across the center of the logo, representing the "thin blue line" that law enforcement creates between the People and Crime. Below the logo are the words "NEBRASKA LAW" and "ENFORCEMENT MEMORIAL" in two lines of red capital letters.

Randy Young, 7 February 2016