St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Called and Set Free to Build Relationships with God, Each Other, and the World, through Jesus Christ our Lord
Flags on Display in the Sanctuary That Have Flown Over Florida
Research indicated Spain had no truly national Flag in 1513, when Juan Ponce de Leon landed on Florida shores, but the Castle and Lion flag of the King was recognized as the flag of the country.
The French flag flew over the short lived settlement of Fort Caroline near present day Jacksonville. The flags of France of the 1500s had lilies both on white and blue backgrounds but the flag flown in Florida surely was the gold lily on blue.
By the English period in Florida, the mother country's flag was the Union flag of Great Britain, reflecting the merger of England and Scotland.
The Castillo de San Marcos at St. Augustine and San Marcos de Apalache at St. Marks fly a white flag with the red Cross of Burgundy because that was among the Spanish flags used during the years of construction of the Castillo and its outpost.
The first national flag of the Confederacy was used from March 1861 until May 1863, and was adopted without a formal vote. The circle of stars in a blue canton, combined with the three horizontal bars led to the nickname "Stars and Bars."
The flag of Florida consists of a red saltire, St. Andrew's Cross, on a white background, with the state seal superimposed on the center. The design was approved by a popular referendum in 1900. The current design has been in use since 1985, after the state seal was improved and officially sanctioned for use by state officials.
The flag of the United States had twenty-three stars when the Treaty with Spain, ceding Florida, was ratified and proclaimed on February 22, 1821.
The man credited with designing the American flag is Robert Heft. His updated 50-star flag was a class project later adopted by presidential proclamation after Alaska and before Hawaii was admitted to the union in 1959.
The church flag was created in 1918 by William M. Baldwin and adopted by General Convention in 1940.