The municipal flag of Springfield, Illinois, is the lawful flag of the capital of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

, Springfield. Its background is "Old Glory

Old Glory

Old Glory is a common nickname for the flag of the United States, bestowed by William Driver, an early nineteenth century American sea captain....

 blue". The flag is emblazoned with a circle of 20 small, white stars, all pointed upward; the circle is offset, slightly, to the left of the flag. Those stars encircle a large, white-bordered "Old Glory red" star, also pointed upward. The center star is described as two stars, one atop the other, in the Springfield, Illinois

Springfield, Illinois

Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...

 Code of Ordinances. Today, the flag has the words "Springfield Illinois," across its bottom; earlier photographs show no lettering on the flag.

Dimensions

In the case of hand-held or carried flag

Flag

A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...

s the proportions are 2:3, two units in height to every three in breadth. When the Springfield flag is flown on a flagpole, its aspect ratio

Aspect ratio

The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,...

 should be 1:2, unless the U.S. government prescribes differing dimensions for the United States flag, in which case the Springfield flag would defer to those dimensions. When the flag is displayed from windows or over the city streets it is allowed to be notched or pointed.

Display

The Springfield city clerk is considered the "custodian of the flag." The flag is displayed at city hall and at other municipal buildings and in public places. It is also displayed on specific national holidays or occasions when the flag is generally displayed. It is stipulated that the municipal flag should never take precedence over the United States flag.

History

The flag was designed in a contest conceived by Springfield resident and famed poet Vachel Lindsay

Vachel Lindsay

Nicholas Vachel Lindsay was an American poet. He is considered the father of modern singing poetry, as he referred to it, in which verses are meant to be sung or chanted...

. The contest was sponsored by the Springfield Art Association and its winner was S.T. Wallace. The Springfield city council

City council

A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...

adopted the flag design on October 22, 1917 and it was first displayed on November 8, 1917. Today the flag is adorned with the word "Springfield, Illinois." Older photographs, dated May 14, 1953, show the flag, absent its lettering. Indeed, the Springfield Code of Ordinances makes no stipulation for the lettering which appears on the current flag. Instead, it describes a "pennant," similar in description to the flag. The pennant is described as containing the same elements and proportions as the flag, with the addition of the words. In the code the flag and pennant are described as two separate entities.

Unlawful uses

The city of Springfield's municipal code lays out three uses of the city flag which are considered unlawful. It is unlawful to use the Springfield municipal flag for any purpose other than "customary purposes of decoration or display." It is also against local ordinance to mar the flag with any letter, word, legend or device not provided for by the municipal code. In addition, it is against the law to use the flag for advertising purposes "by printing, stamping, or displaying thereon any letter, word, legend, or device not duly authorized."