About the Connecticut State Flag

The original design of the Connecticut state flag is over 100 years old, although the central crest of the flag dates back to the historic settlers of Saybrook colony. The main theme of the flag is the strength of the early settlers of New England, who were able to flourish with the help of one another through strong ties to community and to God.

The Facts

The basic design of the flag is a bright, deep-blue background with a silver crest, represented in white, with three grape vines.
There may be some slight variations in the modern version of the flag; in some Connecticut flags the grapes on the vine in the center of the crest are outlined individually as are the oak leaves on the vine, whereas in other flags the grapes and oak leaves are not delineated. Modern official depictions show the flag with the oak leaves and grapes delineated, indicating that this is probably the result of the 1990 revision of the flag statute, in which the law added a sentence about oak leaves being depicted 'realistically' in the center of the crest. Private and public Connecticut institutions may fly an older or self-styled version of the flag that has slight variations in detail.

Features

The actual size of the flag is a prescribed 66 inches long and 52 inches high. The crest is of an ornamental style, outlined in yellow and gray, representing gold and silver. As in the center of the crest, the corners of the shield feature oak leaves. The round circles adorning the oak leaves are representative of acorns. The three vines in the center of the crest bear grapes as well as oak leaves. There is a streamer below the crest on the blue background that depicts the motto of the state: 'QUI TRANSTULIT SUSTINET'

Significance

Historically, the element of the crest represented as grapevines was inherited by a colonist from England who settled in Saybrook, and who was an English patriot who supported the transition of England as a monarchy to a Commonwealth of the people. Grapes and vines intertwined may be interpreted as a metaphor for the strength of community bonds with the blessing of good luck over time. The idea of the ability of a vine to grow where it is planted is a strong symbol of the strength and fertility of the communal spirit. Some believe that the motto bears a scriptural reference, as Psalm 80 reflects the significance of the grapevine, as it discusses God having brought a vine from Egypt and transplanted it. The state motto, translated from the Latin, means 'He who moved us (transplanted us) still takes care of us'.

Time Frame

Although the flag was adopted officially by the Connecticut state legislature in 1931, a local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution claims to have developed the modern design for the flag in the 1890's. However, the design was adapted by the early settlers of the state as much as 290 years earlier. The grapevines are thought to represent the original colonists who moved from New England to Saybrook. George Fenwick, an original member of the Saybrook colony, brought a crest to what is now known as Connecticut from England with five times as many vines on it as the modern flag. This coat of arms also bore resemblance to the later version in that its motto was a word scramble of the later version: 'Sustinet Qui Transtulit.' The Connecticut General Assembly first created an official description for the Connecticut State flag in 1897.
An addition to the description of the state flag was added to in 1990, containing a discussion of the acorns and oak leaves on the flag, even though the design essentially remains the same. The Charter Oak is an important symbolic oak tree for Connecticut, and rumor surrounds the dramatic history of the tree as a secret storage spot for original documents of the state. It was made the state tree of Connecticut in the mid-20th century, and it was located in the first settlement of Hartford. It lived for at least 600 years.

Misconceptions

Researchers say that the three vines on the flag represent the three original settlements of Connecticut. There may be some confusion because the literature does not clarify between the three original settlements and the three original colonies of Connecticut: the three original settlements combined to create the first colony of Connecticut, and then three colonies united during the seventeenth century to create the original "Connecticut" colony.
Weathersfield, Windsor and Hartford were the first three settlements along the Connecticut river. Windsor and Weathersfield were established within miles of one another in the early 17th century. Settlers of Weathersfield created the colony of Hartford a couple of years later in the mid 1630's. They were united along the banks of the Connecticut River to fight what became an historic war against local native Americans. This colony was also known as the "River Colony".
The first three colonies may also refer to "The River Colony" plus Saybrook and New Haven. Saybrook was added as an official settlement about eight years after Hartford. New Haven was incorporated into Connecticut separately in the early 1660's.

Resources

• Connecticut state flag