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Independence County, Arkansas (U.S.)

Last modified: 2021-05-01 by rick wyatt
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[Flag of Independence County, Arkansas] image by Rob Raeside, 2 January 2021

Known Flag - indicates flag is known.
No Known Flag - indicates it is reported that there is no flag.

Municipal flags in Independence County:

See also:

Description of the flag

According to https://www.guardonline.com/news/qc-adopts-countys-first-flag-seal/article_ee2b1def-27b0-5bb5-8563-9374e0159e68.html, the flag designed by Dalton James was approved, yet the Quorum Court Justices of the county asked that it be modified to place the adopted seal into the design with the design being shown at [the time, an unknown future date]. For reference, the other designs and their authors can be seen at https://whiterivernow.com/2020/08/11/flag-and-seal-designs-unveiled-at-monday-nights-independence-county-quorum-court-meeting-sales-tax-figures-up/

Independence County now has an exclusive symbol that will represent them for years to come, a new county flag. County officials raised the flag on New Year’s Eve as they brought in the new year and closed out their bi-centennial. The flag was approved by the Independence County Quorum Court after a flag competition where one of the contributors was an alum from Lyon College and the other was a citizen in Norway.

The flag that is flying high at the county courthouse in Batesville has a lot of symbolism. The two blue stripes represent the White and Black River. The five white stripes represent the incorporated cities: Batesville, Southside, Cave City, Cushman, and Newark. The five red stripes represent the incorporated towns: Magness, Moorefield, Oil Trough, Pleasant Plains, and Sulphur Rock. The collective 10 red and white stripes represent the row crops that are a huge resource for Independence County.

The five-pronged star represents the American Revolution patriots who were buried in Independence County: Lawrence Angel, John Carothers, Benjamin Hardin, David Vance, and John Weldon. The nine stars in total represent the fact that Independence County was the ninth county to form in Arkansas.

As far as the seal, County Judge Robert Griffin best describes it below:
“The Liberty Bell is featured since our name came from the Declaration of Independence. In that image, 1820, the year of our birth. Freedom shines all around the Liberty Bell. Our local higher institutions of learning are featured under the bell as true freedom involves an informed and knowledgeable public. Our great natural resources are featured by the river flowing across the landscape and with the largemouth bass and the deer. The rivers, both the Black and White, were prominent in our development and trade.

Agriculture, of many types, has long been a stabilizing factor for our County. A few stalks of corn and a cow represents that with the chicken being a great producer of jobs in our county through processing and production, thereby blending agriculture with industry. Racing is represented in the outer ring along with our mining history and quarries. Many may not know of the manganese mining around Cushman during WW2. It is used in making steel and that was a scarce resource in that time of war. Our quarries produce materials that go all over the nation. Quarried stone from here is present in the Arkansas State Capitol. Sand mining is currently being done in our county. All this activity is representing many jobs.”

Griffin says even with its symbolism, it will also honor those in the county. “We needed the ability to honor officers, firefighters, people that might have not met the threshold that the Governor would lower the flag, but we want to honor here. So, we will have protocols where fire chiefs, mayors, etc. would be able to request ‘hey would you lower the county flag,’” Griffin said.

As of now, the protocol of public law does not allow a county or city official the authority to lower the American or state flag, only a President and Governor can do that. With the establishment of this new flag and with it standing alone on county property, the county will not violate the law.

County Judge Griffin says they are proud to end their first 200 years of existence by starting their next 200 years by raising their first county flag.

Zachary Harden, 3 January 2021

Seal

[Seal of Independence County, Arkansas] image located by Dave Fowler, 2 January 2021
Source: whiterivernow.com

An earlier version of the seal (see below) was produced as a result of a competition, but the winning design was found to have been sent from Norway. The general concept was retained, but the design altered.

The symbolism is as follows: The Liberty Bell is featured since our name came from the Declaration of Independence. Of course, the image of our county holds the bell. In that image, 1820, the year of our birth. Freedom shines all around the Liberty Bell. Our local higher institutions of learning are featured under the bell as true freedom involves an informed and knowledgeable public. Our great natural resources are featured by the river flowing across the landscape and with the largemouth bass and the deer. The rivers, both the Black and White were prominent in our development and trade.

Agriculture, of many types, has long been a stabilizing factor for our County. A few stalks of corn and a cow represents that with the chicken being a great producer of jobs in our county through processing and production, thereby blending agriculture with industry.

Racing is represented in the outer ring along with our mining history and quarries. Many may not know of the manganese mining around Cushman during WW2. It is used in making steel and that was a scare resource in that time of war. Our quarries produce materials that go all over the nation. Quarried stone from here is present in the Arkansas State Capitol. Sand mining is currently being done in our county. All this activity is representing many jobs.

And then we have the alternating red, white and blue border, a representation of the true patriotic spirit of the citizens of Independence County. This seal says so much and most of the imagery was from a citizen of Norway that he found out through his research. He was on target in his intent and we are honored by his work. He found a place he would like to visit and live. It brings out that we are an inclusive and accepting community that follows the Declaration upon which we are named: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..” No matter where you live or who you are, we value your contributions to our county. Least you don’t notice the sunrise/sunset on an endless horizon, showing our potential is unlimited and we have a bright future as we move into the next 200 years.

Dave Fowler, 2 January 2021

Earlier version of the flag and seal

[Flag of Independence County, Arkansas] image by Valentin Poposki, 22 August 2020

Independence County just adopted its symbols - flag and seal earlier this month. Flag and seal designs were unveiled at Monday night’s Independence County Quorum Court meeting. The flag was created by Dalton James, and the seal by Truls Rypern.

Flag design: “The specific symbolism for the flag is as follows: The white diamond on a blue field represents the county’s tie to Arkansas as one of the ‘mother counties.’ The two blue stripes represent the White and Black rivers. The five white stripes represent the incorporated cities: Batesville, Southside, Cave City, Cushman, and Newark. The five red stripes represent the incorporated towns: Magness, Moorefield, Oil Trough, Pleasant Plains, and Sulphur Rock. The collective 10 red and white stripes represent the row crops that are a huge resource for Independence County. The five-pronged star represents the American Revolution patriots who were buried in Independence County: Lawrence Angel, John Carothers, Benjamin Hardin, David Vance, and John Weldon. And the collective of nine stars in total represents the fact that Independence County was the ninth county to form in Arkansas”
Valentin Poposki, 22 August 2020

Earlier version of the seal

[Seal of Independence County, Arkansas] image by Valentin Poposki, 22 August 2020

“The seal has the abbreviated county name, along with the text ‘Gate & Key to the Ozarks.’ This text refers to Independence County’s role in the settlement of the Ozark Mountains region. The perimeter of the seal also contains two pairs of pickaxes, representing the quarries of the area. The decorative pattern on the inner border of the perimeter was inspired by the Garrott House, one of the county’s many beautiful historic buildings.
“Within the seal is a scroll inscribed with the year ‘1820,’ the year the county was established. Red was added at my [Griffin’s] request. The seal is divided into four quarters. The first quarter has a chicken with three eggs, representing poultry and agriculture in general. The second quarter has a winged wheel, a traditional symbol of transport. The winged wheel specifically represents the Batesville Regional Airport and the stock car racer Mark Martin. The third quarter has a trout to represent Independence County’s great trout fishing and other great outdoor activities by extent. The fourth quarter has two lightning bolts, representing Independence County’s connections to two sources of energy: biofuel and hydropower.”

Valentin Poposki, 22 August 2020