Origins of the Six Flags Display

While it is nearly impossible to say when the very first display of the "Six Flags of Texas" took place, the popularization of the display can be clearly tied to the 1936 Centennial Celebration. From bluebonnets to ten-gallon hats to the six flags display, the Centennial's dual theme of history and progress enshrined some of the most iconic Texas myths that continue to this day.

During the Centennial year, the six flags became a part Texas's visual identity, being permanently installed in the State of Texas Building (now the Hall of State) at Fair Park in Dallas and in the floor of the Capitol Rotunda in Austin. They were also an almost ever-present site on tickets, programs, and memorabilia created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Texas's independence from Mexico.

The Bullock Museum tells the story of the nations that each of the six flags of Texas represents inside its galleries as a representation of the rich and complicated history of the Lone Star State.