The Flag of Dundalk, MD

Many people ask me about the origins of the Dundalk Flag.  Cities all over Maryland have no flag to fly, but Dundalk proudly has one to call its own.  Most people mention the flag because it is now plastered on over 40 citizens license plates (which if you are interested in purchasing one, you should call the Dundalk Renaissance Corporation at 410-282-0261) and everytime I go to Towson, I rub it in.  The conversation usually goes like this:

Friend: Hey Jordan, whats that on your license plate?

Jordan: The Dundalk Flag

Friend: I didn’t know that Dundalk had a flag!

Jordan: Only the greatest cities in the United States are awarded them

Friend: Oh

So, I am sure there are many Dundalkians and outsiders that do not know the origin of the Dundalk Flag.  Luckily for us, J.K. O’Neill from the amazing column “Whats Up With That?” in the Dundalk Eagle wrote about it  in April of 2005. So, without further adieu, I shall let you read what J.K. was able to find

by J.K. O’Niell, 4/25/2005

“…in 1967, State Sen. Roy Staten got the idea that, incorporated or not, the city of Dundalk deserved its own flag. Baltimore County’s draconian anti-incorporation rules may have made it virtually impossible for us to have our own mayor, but we were still, at the time, the largest unincorporated town in the United States. We had all the indicia of township, as the lawyers say, so we should bloody well have a flag too. Staten organized a committee of community leaders and activists. This body, made up of Joe Merritt, Sy Rovencamp, Cal Hunter, Marge Steele, Mitzy Seaman, Mary Hicks, Sid Webster and Eagle publisher and founder Kimbel Oelke, met to figure out how to go about getting a flag worthy our community. They hit upon the rather brilliant idea of holding a contest. Students in the art classes at Dundalk and Patapsco high schools were encouraged to submit plans for a town flag. After much careful consideration of the many entries, the committee chose the design of Dundalk High student Janet Forte. She won a scholarship and was presented with one of the first Dundalk flags by Staten. Her design has a simple elegance. On a field of noble green and rich gold, her flag displays an Old English “D” in the top right corner. The bottom left contains a depiction of the seal of Maryland, a farmer and a fisherman flanking a shield bearing the arms of the Calvert and Mynne families (Anne Calvert was born a Mynne). Below is a scroll bearing the motto of the Calvert family, which is also now that of the State of Maryland, “Fatti maschil parole femine.” The motto is Latin for, “Manly deeds, womanly words” (some have complained about this but I feel that, in a place where the state sport is jousting, such an anachronism is eminently appropriate).

Originally, only six Dundalk flags were ordered. Dundalk American Legion Post 38 had one made a year later and has carried one in every Dundalk Fourth of July parade since 1969. By 1983, only four of the original seven survived. Since then many more have been distributed, including about 500 small desk flags. They’re still pretty rare, but you do see them around if you keep an eye at. We have one here at The Eagle. The colors were chosen because green and gold have been the Dundalk school colors since time immemorial — literally. I could find no one who recalled why these colors were chosen, but many agreed that the choice dated back to the beginning of the Dundalk School in 1926. More digging gave me no concrete answer but a reasonable guess. According to my Internet research, the shield of County Louth in Ireland, home of our Dundalk namesake, is divided into fields of green and gold of almost the same hue as those on our flag. It was apparently a nice touch to honor the mother country.”

Note: Dundalk is unincorporated, so the flag is unofficial.

A diagonally divided green over yellow flag with a coat of arms of Maryland in the lower hoist and a gold Old English script D in the upper fly. Some information about the flag is available at http://dundalkeagle.com/articles/2005/08/15/columns/whatspast/whats871.txt:

So, there is your piece of Dundalk Trivia for the day!  Enjoy your Wednesday!