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Washington County, Maine (U.S.)

image by Dave Martucci, 25 February 2012

Description of the flag

- indicates flag is known.
- indicates it is reported that there is no known flag.

Municipal flags in Washington County:

See also:

Description of the flag

In December 1989, in an act to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Washington County, Maine, the County Commissioners adopted a design by Bo Thott of the Town of Cutler as the official County Flag. This act was the culmination of a design contest that had been initiated more than a year earlier which had garnered 59 entries.

The design is a white flag bearing a coat-of-arms not based on the County Seal. It consists of a royal blue shield which bears a green pine tree and, in white outlined in black, the head of a moose, the head of an eagle, and a haddock. The tree is centered near the top of the shield with the moose to its left (as observed), the eagle to the right and the haddock below. Above the shield, for the crest, is a yellow rising sun. Below the shield is a yellow ribbon, edged in black, bearing the inscription in black letters "WASHINGTON COUNTY-MAINE".

Thott stated the emblems were chosen as follows: the pine tree represents the forestry and logging workers, the haddock represents the diversified marine fisheries industry while the moose and the eagle represent the wildlife associated with the county. The sun represents the fact that Washington County is the Eastern-most county of the United States.

In 1990 the commissioners appropriated $2,500 to have flags made by the Tri-State Flag Company of Lewiston, Maine which cost $56.32 each for 51 copies, including the gold fringe and pole hemming.

The "Bangor Daily News" on Thursday, 9 January 1992, Page 1, announced Commissioners Thomas Brennan, Robert Gillis, and Chairman Preston Smith would each visit the Washington County municipalities in their respective districts to distribute the 3x5 foot flags. Shortly after the announcement of the distribution, the County Commission came under fire by members of the public and the "Bangor Daily News" (Thursday 16 January 1992, Page 14) for spending this money in the face of severe economic distress that was being experienced by taxpayers county-wide. County Clerk Evangeline T. Hussey responded to the news editorial in the "Bangor Daily News" on Tuesday 21 January 1992 (Page 14) and defended the action.

It is not known if the flags were ever distributed to the municipalities but photographs of the County Commissioners in recent years clearly show this flag in their meeting room.
Dave Martucci, 25 February 2012