The state flag of West Virginia was officially adopted on 7 March 1929, after undergoing several changes to its overall design. The first flag used to represent the state of West Virginia is believed to be the one displayed at the 1904 Saint Louis World's Fair. This white flag with a blue border had a picture of West Virginia's official state flower, the rhododendron, on one side and a depiction of the state's coat of arms on the other. The state's legislature adopted this flag as the official state flag of West Virginia on 24 February 1905. The flag adopted in 1929 displays both these images together on one side of the flag — rhododendron branches encompass the state's coat of arms, and a red banner above the coat of arms reads, "State of West Virginia."
The coat of arms of the state of West Virginia dates back to September 1863, about three months after West Virginia became a state on 20 June 1863. The state's coat of arms as it appears on the state flag of West Virginia depicts a miner and a farmer, representing the state's two primary industries. They are shown standing on either side of a rock, which represents fortitude and endurance. The rock is inscribed with the date 20 June 1863, to commemorate the anniversary of the state's change in status.
In the foreground can be seen two crossed rifles topped with a Phrygian cap. This cap is typically recognized as a symbol of freedom in American culture. A ribbon in the extreme foreground bears the state's Latin motto, "Montani Semper Liberi," or, "Mountaineers are Always Free."
West Virginia became a state during the American Civil War. Prior to the war, the territory that would later become West Virginia was considered a part of the state of Virginia. These westerly counties were, however, geographically, socially and economically very different from the state of Virginia's easterly counties, and residents of the western part of the state largely disagreed with the policies of the Virginia state government. When Virginia seceded from the United States at the commencement of the Civil War, its western counties voted to secede from it. President Abraham Lincoln granted these counties autonomous statehood.
The symbolism of the state flag of West Virginia is intended to respect the state's early history of conflict. The appearance of the Phrygian cap and crossed rifles on the state flag of West Virginia represent the state's fight for its autonomy against Confederate forces, and its commitment to freedom.
