Secession banner

Even before Florida left the Union in January 1861, unofficial secession flags were flying in many parts of the state. A group from Duval County called "the Ladies of Broward's Neck" presented this flag to Governor Madison Starke Perry. The flag bore the motto "The Rights of the South at All Hazards!" and was displayed at the Florida capitol when the Ordinance of Secession was signed on January 11, 1861.
(Collections of the Museum of Florida History)
 

Colonel Chase's lone-star flag

In mid-January 1861, Colonel William H. Chase, the commander of Florida troops in Pensacola who were loyal to the South, raised this lone star emblem as the state's provisional military flag. Colonel Chase's soldiers had seized the federal navy yard in Pensacola during the crisis preceding the outbreak of the Civil War. The flag bears the same design as that used by the navy of the Republic of Texas from 1836 to 1845.
(Collections of the Museum of Florida History)
 

1861 pattern Florida state flag

Early in 1861, the Florida legislature passed an act directing Governor Madison S. Perry to adopt "an appropriate device for a State flag which shall be distinctive in character." On September 13, 1861, the governor reported that the new state flag had been deposited in his office, and the secretary of state recorded a description of Florida's first official state flag. Whether the flag was ever raised over the capitol or on the battlefield is unknown. This illustration is based on the written description.
(Collections of the Museum of Florida History)