Maryland State Flag

The Maryland state flag serves as the official flag of Maryland. The design divides into four quarters. Two quarters show black and gold checkers in a diagonal pattern. The other two quarters display a red and white bottony cross.

These patterns come from colonial-era family crests. The Calvert family founded Maryland in 1632. The Crossland family connected to the Calverts through marriage. The flag flies at government offices, schools, and public grounds throughout Maryland.

The flag represents Maryland's colonial heritage through two historic family crests. The black and gold quarters show the coat of arms of the Calvert family. The red and white quarters display the Crossland family crest, which belonged to the mother of George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, and this heritage supports the Old Line State nickname.

During the Civil War, these two designs took on political meaning. Marylanders who supported the Union flew the Calvert colors. Those who sympathized with the Confederacy used the Crossland pattern. After the war, combining both designs symbolized reconciliation between divided Maryland families.

The flag demonstrates unity from division. Bringing both crests together created a unique state symbol that acknowledged Maryland's complex Civil War history while moving forward as one state.

Maryland authorized its state flag in 1904. The legislature approved a design combining the Calvert and Crossland family crests. These heraldic patterns dated to the seventeenth century when the Calvert family established the Maryland colony.

The flag design appeared informally before official adoption. Maryland units used versions of these patterns during the Civil War. After 1865, groups began combining both crests to represent state unity. By the 1880s, the four-quarter design appeared at public events.

The 1904 law formalized what had become common practice. No single designer received credit. The flag emerged from decades of informal use and gradual acceptance. Maryland remains one of the few states with a flag based entirely on heraldic family crests in a region now summarized by states neighboring states.

The flag uses black, gold, red, and white. Black and gold come from the Calvert family coat of arms. Red and white derive from the Crossland family crest. These four colors make Maryland's flag one of the most distinctive state banners and align with broader U.S. state colors.