South Carolina State Flag   Save
Ohio History Connection
Description: The flag of South Carolina consists of a blue field bearing a white crescent in its canton and a white palmetto tree at center. The palmetto ( the official state tree) refers to the attack on Sullivan's Island by the British fleet on June 28, 1776. Fortifications utilized palmetto logs which are dense and fibrous lending flexibility to the structure. British cannons could not penetrate the fort at Charleston commanded by Colonel William Moultrie, who later designed the original state flag. The stronghold was later named Fort Moultrie. South Carolina seceded from the Union on Dec. 20, 1860. A month later the palmetto was added to Moultrie's crescent to form the flag's longstanding design. Maker's mark indicates this cotton flag was manufactured by Annin & Co. with Defiance cotton bunting. Considered America's oldest and largest flag maker, Founder Alexander Annin began making flags on the New York City waterfront in the 1820’s. Defiance bunting was implemented in 1914 but use declined after the implementation of Bulldog bunting around 1925. Both steadily declined after the invention of nylon in the Second World War. Typically, after the war the use of cotton flags was favored for official events held by prestigious organizations and the U.S. government (artifact acquired 1950-1970). View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: H65254_001
Subjects: Ceremonial artifact; Communication artifact; Military flags; State flags--South Carolina; Civil War 1861-1865; Textile--cotton; Fort Moultrie; Botany-- Palmetto
Places: Charleston, South Carolina