(GONE) 14 Flags Plaza - State Fair Park - Oklahoma City, OK
Posted by: hamquilter
N 35° 28.460 W 097° 34.319
14S E 629556 N 3926583
During the annual Oklahoma State Fair, this plaza with fourteen flagpoles flies the flags that have flown over Oklahoma over the past 471 years.
Waymark Code: WMF7QC
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 09/06/2012
Views: 6
UPDATE: February 2019 - It has been reported that the Arrows to Atoms Space Tower and the 14 Flags Plaza were removed in November 2018.
State Fair Park, located on the northwest side of Oklahoma City has numerous exhibition and event buildings and hosts many events throughout the year. In mid-September, the State Fair of Oklahoma is held over an eleven day period. 2012 is the 106th year of the Fair.
At the center of the Park, a 200-foot Space Tower rises into the air, dedicated to the settling and development of Oklahoma from Arrows to Atoms. A circular plaza surrounds this space tower with shrub and flower plantings. Fourteen flagpoles each display a bronze plaque describing one of the 14 flags under which Oklahoma has existed. The flags themselves are flown during the State Fair.
The plaques list these flags as follows:
* First Flag - Royal Standard of Spain - Coronado's Expedition - 1541
* Second Flag - Great Union of Great Britain - Carolina Land Grant Included Oklahoma - 1663
* Third Flag - Royal Standard of France - LaSalle Claimed the Territory Drained by the Mississippi - 1682
* Fourth Flag - Bourbon Standard of the Spanish Empire - Ceded by France to Spain, Treaty of Paris - 1763
* Fifth Flag - Standard of the French Republic - Province of Louisiana Re-ceded by Spain to France - 1800
* Sixth Flag - Star Spangled Banner of the United States - 15 Stripes - Louisiana Purchase - 1803
* Seventh Flag - Old Glory of the United States - 13 Stripes - Star for each State Changed by Law - 1818
* Eighth Flag - Flag of the Republic of Mexico - Oklahoma Panhandle Claimed by Mexico - 1821
* Ninth Flag - Flag of Republic of Texas - Oklahoma Panhandle and Greer Counties Claimed by Texas - 1836
* Tenth Flag - Lone Star of State of Texas - Designed by Law - Texas Claim on Oklahoma Panhandle and Greer County - 1839
* Eleventh Flag - Flag of Choctaw Nation - Choctaw Indian Troops First Carried Flag During Civil War - 1861
* Twelfth Flag - Battle Flag of Confederate States of America - Claimed by Confederacy - 1861
* Thirteenth Flag - First Oklahoma State Flag - Adopted by State Legislature - 1911
* Fourteenth Flag - Present Oklahoma State Flag - Adopted by State Legislature - 1925
A bronze plaque mounted on a low concrete wall reads:
FOURTEEN FLAGS PLAZAConstructed 1964 by the
State Fair of Oklahoma
Dedicated September 25, 1964 by
President of the United States
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lights Turned on the Plaza for the First Time
by James Webb, Director of National Aeronautical and Space Administration
by Signal Via the
Relay II Satellite
The First Time in History Such a Mission has been Performed
These are the 14 Flags Known to have Flown over Oklahoma During
Its Recorded History
Executive Committee for the Fair Board
Edward L. Gaylord
President
Dean A. McGee / William Gill, Jr.
First Vice President / Second Vice President
Stanley C. Draper / Luther T. Dulaney
E. L. Roederer / George N. Sturm
Orval O. "Sandy" Saunders
Secretary - Manager