Climbing Backbone Mountain, Maryland |
 The Maryland colony was established in the 17th century by the second Lord Baltimore and, as a result, the Maryland state flag incorporates the coats of arms of his parents’ families – the black and gold portions representing his father’s (that is, the Calverts’) line; while the red and white cross stems from his mother’s (i.e., the Crosslands’) side of the family. The Maryland flag is the only US state flag based on English heraldry, and in a 2001 survey, members of the North American Vexillological Association judged it to be among the best of the fifty US state flags. |