Indiana's flag was designed by Paul Hadley, of Mooresville, during a 1916 competition held in connection with the statehood centennial. The winning design was made official by the 1917 General Assembly. The torch of liberty and enlightenment is at the center of the flag. The circle of 13 stars represent the original 13 colonies, the half-circle of five stars represent the five additional states that entered the Union before Indiana, and the large star above the flame represents Indiana, the 19th state. Indiana became a state Dec. 11, 1816. File image
Happy birthday Indiana!
Exactly 208 years ago, on Dec. 11, 1816, Indiana joined the union as the 19th state when President James Madison signed a congressional resolution admitting Indiana "on an equal footing with the original states, in all respects whatever."
The population of Indiana at that time was little more than 60,000 people. Almost all Hoosiers then, including a 7-year-old child named Abraham Lincoln, lived in southern Indiana near the Ohio River.
The state's first capital was at Corydon. State government moved to the new city of Indianapolis — chosen for its geographic location near the center of the state — in 1824.
It would take another half-century or so for a significant number of settlers to begin building homes in the sand dunes and marshes near Lake Michigan.
Today, nearly 7 million people call Indiana home, with about 10% living in Northwest Indiana.
Gov. Eric Holcomb plans to celebrate his final Statehood Day as Indiana's chief executive at the Statehouse speaking to schoolchildren about the state's history.
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