Indiana (Hoosier State) — State Seal and Flag

State	Indiana (19th state, admitted 11 December 1816)
Nickname	The Hoosier State
State seal	Pioneer, sycamore tree, buffalo, rising sun (14 rays)
Seal origin	c. 1801 (territorial); Davis Floyd proposal 1816; standardised 1963
State flag	Dark blue field, gold torch, 19 stars, “INDIANA”
Flag designed	Paul Hadley (Mooresville), DAR centennial competition 1916
Flag adopted	31 May 1917 (as “banner”); renamed “flag” 1955
Capital	Indianapolis
Motto	The Crossroads of America
“Hoosier” first attested	1830s; popularised by John Finley’s poem (1833)

The seal of Indiana is one of America’s most vivid frontier scenes — a snapshot of the wilderness becoming a state.

The scene

• Pioneer woodsman — wearing a hat, swinging his axe nearly perpendicular, with the blade turned away from him. He is felling a sycamore tree that has already been notched halfway through — the wilderness giving way to civilisation.
• Buffalo — in the foreground, jumping over a log, front feet on the ground and back feet in the air, fleeing through the plains toward a distant forest. It represents the wild frontier retreating before the advance of settlement.
• Rising sun — with fourteen rays, alternating short and long. A thorough investigation by the Indiana Historical Bureau confirmed that the sun was always intended to be rising — symbolising the dawn of a new state — not setting.
• Two sycamore trees — to the right, the larger nearer the centre.

Origins

Versions of this pioneer scene appear on official papers as early as 1801, during Indiana’s time as part of the Northwest Territory. The original seal may have been created by William Henry Harrison during his administration of the Indiana Territory. At the first session of the Indiana General Assembly in 1816, representative Davis Floyd of Harrison County proposed: “A forest and a woodman felling a tree, a buffalo leaving the forest and fleeing through the plain to a distant forest, and sun in the west with the word Indiana.”

Standardisation (1963)

Although seals were provided for in both the 1816 and 1851 state constitutions, it was not until 1963 that the Indiana General Assembly provided an official written description — correcting the widespread misconception that the sun was setting rather than rising.

The Indiana flag is a dark blue field bearing a golden torch with radiating rays, surrounded by 19 golden stars and the word “INDIANA” above.

Paul Hadley’s design (1916–1917)

In 1916, the Daughters of the American Revolution organised a design competition to celebrate Indiana’s centennial. Over 200 submissions were received. The winner was Paul Hadley of Mooresville, Indiana, who earned a $100 prize. His original design did not include the word “Indiana” — the legislature added it when adopting the design as the “state banner” on 31 May 1917. It was renamed the “state flag” in 1955.

The torch and its meaning

The torch symbolises enlightenment and liberty, with golden rays spreading outward from its flames. It is one of the few US state flags built around a single abstract symbol rather than a seal or coat of arms.

The 19 stars

• 13 stars in an outer semicircle — the original thirteen colonies.
• 5 stars in an inner semicircle — the next five states admitted.
• 1 large star directly above the torch — Indiana, the 19th state.

The origin of the word “Hoosier” — Indiana’s official demonym — is one of America’s great etymological mysteries. Theories include:

• “Who’s here?” — a frontier greeting called through cabin doors, contracted to “Hoosier.”
• Samuel Hoosier — a canal contractor on the Louisville and Portland Canal in the 1820s who allegedly preferred hiring workers from Indiana, who became known as “Hoosier’s men.”
• “Hoozer” — a Cumberland dialect word meaning “anything unusually large” or a “hill dweller.”

No definitive explanation has been established, but the term has been associated with Indiana since at least the 1830s. It was popularised by John Finley’s 1833 poem “The Hoosier’s Nest,” and today Hoosier is one of the most recognised state demonyms in the United States — carried proudly by the Indiana University Hoosiers, the Indianapolis 500 community, and 6.8 million residents of the Crossroads of America.

What is on the Indiana state seal?

The seal depicts a pioneer woodsman felling a sycamore tree, a buffalo jumping over a log and fleeing toward a distant forest, and a rising sun with fourteen rays. The design dates to Indiana’s territorial days (c. 1801) and was first proposed by Davis Floyd in 1816.

What does ‘Hoosier’ mean?

The origin of “Hoosier” — Indiana’s official demonym — is one of America’s great etymological mysteries. Theories include a frontier greeting (“Who’s here?”), a reference to canal contractor Samuel Hoosier, and a dialect word for “hill dweller.” The term has been associated with Indiana since at least the 1830s.

Who designed the Indiana state flag?

The flag was designed by Paul Hadley of Mooresville, Indiana. He won a DAR competition for Indiana’s 1916 centennial, beating over 200 submissions and earning a $100 prize. The legislature adopted it on 31 May 1917.

What do the 19 stars on the Indiana flag represent?

The 19 stars recall that Indiana was the 19th state (admitted 11 December 1816). 13 stars represent the original colonies, 5 the next five states, and 1 large star above the torch is Indiana itself.

Is the sun on the Indiana seal rising or setting?

Rising. The Indiana Historical Bureau confirmed that the original 1816 design intended the sun to be rising — symbolising the dawn of a new state. This was officially standardised by the General Assembly in 1963.

• Indiana Historical Bureau. Indiana State Seal and Indiana State Flag. in.gov/history.
• Governor’s Office. What does the Indiana State Seal mean? in.gov.
• Historic Indianapolis. The Who and How of Indiana’s State Flag. historicindianapolis.com.
• Smith, Whitney. Flags Through the Ages and Across the World. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975.
• Indiana Code § 1-2-2 (State Seal) and § 1-2-3 (State Flag).

Last reviewed by the Emblema Mundi editorial team on 2026-06-24.