Minnesota is officially flying its new flag. What happens to the old one?

May 11, 2024
1 min read
Minnesota is officially flying its new flag. What happens to the old one?


Minnesota officially raises its new state flag


Minnesota officially raises its new state flag

02:04

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota officially adopted its new state flag on Saturday, making history with the old flag. So what happens to the old flag now that it’s obsolete?

The former flag, which the Minnesota Legislature adopted in 1957, will no longer be flown from any official government building.

Before the new flag was raised at sunrise, the outgoing state flags were retired by the Minnesota National Guard.

The Minnesota Department of Administration says it planned for the new flags to coincide with the flag replacement schedule.

The Minnesota Historical Society will preserve the old flag that flew over the Capitol and the Court of Honor on the Capitol Mall. The other flags removed from the Capitol will be decommissioned in accordance with the US flag code.

The state has not officially provided any guidance on disposing of old flags, but a spokesperson for the Minnesota court system said it has suggested that judicial districts contact their local government agencies to “inquire about any potential disposal efforts or programs” or send them to the Judiciary Center in São Paulo so they can be burned.

The Minnesota Historical Society says it currently has no plans to display the retirement flag.

The old state seal, often present in official government documents, can be used until supply runs out or until January 2025, whichever comes first. Information about the old seal will be retained in a collection maintained by the Minnesota Historical Society.

For years, there was discussion about changing the state flag. Not only did it violate the principles of “good flag design” by flag expertsbut some took issue with the flag’s imagery, which showed a white settler cultivating the land while an indigenous man rode on horseback.

The redesign committee spent four months considering more than 2,100 registrations from the public.

The new flag includes two shades of blue, a nod to Minnesota’s waters; an eight-pointed star for the “North Star State” that reflects the design of the state capitol rotunda; and an abstract representation of the shape of the state.

Flag expert Ted Kaye, secretary of the North American Vexillological Association, told WCCO in December he gives the final design an A+.

Some Minnesota Republican lawmakers wanted interrupt the launch of the new flag and give Minnesotans a chance to provide more feedback on the design, but were unsuccessful in their efforts.



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