On October 5, 1949 an ordinance was approved adopting an official City of Louisville Flag. It was described as follows:
“A flag which shall have thirteen silver stars and three gold fleur-de-lis placed upon a field of blue. ‘The stars shall be arranged in a circle in the first quarter after the manner of the thirteen stars of the American Flag as adopted by Congress June 14, 1777. Two gold fleur-de-lis shall be placed in the second quarter and one gold fleur-de-lis shall be placed in the forth quarter so that the three form a triangle with the point at the bottom and the base at the top….The blue of the flag shall be the same shade of blue as is in the field of the American Flag.’”
The adoption of this ordinance marked the culmination of efforts on the part of Mayor Charles Farnsley to provide a fitting symbol for the City. In its design he consulted flag makers, historians, students of heraldry and others.
The flag tells a story. It is the story of a band of frontiersmen fighting for independence who were grateful for the aid sent to them by France and sought to show this gratitude by naming their settlement for the French king.
-The Louisville Story
The 13 stars represent the 13 colonies that existed at the time of Louisville’s founding as a city. The use of the fleur de lis is a tribute to King Louis the XVI for the help offered during the Revolutionary War.
The layout of the fleur de lis is similar to the old French Navy Flag. It is believed that George Rogers Clark (believed to be one of the founders of Louisville) carried this flag, and possibly another, when he rode in battle. An image of this flag is below. You can see that the layout is the same as the old City of Louisville Flag.
Unfortunately this original City of Louisville flag has been replaced. The current flag was implemented in 2003 when the old city of Louisville merged with Jefferson County
Here is an image of the current flag:
The original City of Louisville Flag has a very interesting history and we will be adding more information to the site.
Please feel free to contact us with any additional information you may have on the flag.