Georgia State Tartan

State Tartan

Adopted in 1997

The Georgia District Tartan was officially recognized as a symbol of Georgia in 1997.The tartan commemorates the founding of the state of Georgia and combines elements in the design associated with its historic past. General Oglethorpe commanded the Highland Independent Company of Foot which, in 1746, wore the Black Watch tartan. Captain John 'Mohr' MacIntosh is remembered in the MacIntosh red. Georgia tartan is much in evidence at the annual Stone Mountain Highland Games held in Atlanta.

Georgia State Tartan: State Tartan

The Georgia State Tartan was created by the Scottish Tartans Society in 1982, to mark the 250th anniversary of the state's foundation.  The tartan was designed by Peter E. MacDonald at the suggestion of Dr. Micheil MacDonald following discussions with officers of Stone Mountain Games, and was adopted as the official State Tartan by the Georgia State Legislature on May 1, 1997.  The Georgia State Tartan combines elements from the Mackintosh tartan and the Royal Company of Archers, George II's bodyguard.  A sample is in the Scottish Tartans Authority Johnston and Dalgety Collections.

Scottish Register of Tartans

STA ref: 794
STWR ref: 794
Designer: MacDonald, Peter
Tartan date: 01/01/1981
Registration date: This tartan was recorded prior to the launch of The Scottish Register of Tartans.
Category: District

Restrictions:

Registration notes: Woven sample shows khaki where the graphic originally had green. Designed in December 1981 by Peter E.MacDonald. Commemorates the 250th Anniversary of founding of Georgia but is now widely regarded as the Georgia State tartan. Was designed at the suggestion of Dr Micheil MacDonald following discussions with officers of Stone Mountain Games. The design was based on a combination of the 42nd or Government tartan and an old MacIntosh fragment recorded in Stewart's 'Setts of the Scottish Tartans. In 1982 it was presented to the then Governor - Governor George Busby and was not adopted as the official State tartan by the State legislature until 1st May 1997.

Georgia House Bill No. 644

1997 Act Declaring Georgia Tartan as the Official State Tartan:

Act of the Georgia General Assembly

May 1, 1997

STATE GOVERNMENT- STATE SYMBOLS; OFFICIAL TARTAN DESIGNATED.

Code Section 50-3-75 Enacted

No. 480 (House Bill No. 644).

AN ACT.

To amend Article 3 of Chapter 3 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to other state symbols, so as to designate the official tartan of the State of Georgia; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, the Georgia tartan was introduced to the public for the first time in 1982 at the First International Gathering of the Scottish Clans ever held in the United States at the Stone Mountain Highland Games and Scottish Festival; and

WHEREAS, the Georgia tartan was designed at the request of the Stone Mountain Highland Games, Inc., by the Scottish Tartan Society in Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland, and presented to Governor George Busbee in 1982 in honor of Georgia's 250th birthday. On October 1, 1996, the Scottish Tartans Society issued its Certificate of Accreditation for this tartan; and

WHEREAS, both the pattern and colors of the Georgia Tartan are a reflection of this state's strong ties with Scotland. The pattern, or "sett,"comes from the earliest known Mackintosh tartan; it was John Mohr Mackintosh and his Oglethorpe, repulse Spanish invaders and keep Georgia a British Colony; and

WHEREAS, the red and light blue come from the Royal Tartan from the reign of King George II, which was worn by the Royal Company of Archers, the King's personal bodyguards in Scotland. The green and black are from what once was the "government"pattern worn by Mackintosh's troops and since has become world famous as the tartan worn by the Royal Highland Regiment, "The Black Watch"; and

WHEREAS, Peter McDonald, the great Scottish tartan weaver and tartan design expert who designed the Georgia tartan and wove it for the first time, said he selected the color blue for the beautiful Georgia sky, the red for our rich red Georgia clay, and the green for our beautiful forests; and

WHEREAS, the Georgia tartan is so special because this state's very history is woven into the fabric. It is a tartan any Georgia Scot and any proud Georgian can wear with pride.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

SECTION 1.

Article 3 of Chapter 3 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to other state symbols, is amended by adding at the end thereof a new Code section to read as follows:

"50-3-75.

(a) The Georgia tartan is designated as the official tartan of Georgia.

(b) The Georgia tartan is that tartan accredited in Certificate Number 96027 by the Council of the Scottish Tartans Society of Scotland and is described as follows: 72 green, 4 black, 4 green, 4 black, 6 green, 24 black, 20 azure, 40 red."


SECTION 2.

All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

Approved May 1, 1997.

Source: Ga. Laws 1997, pp. 1557-1559.

Georgia Law

The law designating the tartan as the official Georgia state tartan is found in the Georgia Code, Title 50, Chapter 3, Section 50-3-76.

TITLE 50. STATE GOVERNMENT
CHAPTER 3. STATE FLAG, SEAL, AND OTHER SYMBOLS
ARTICLE 3. OTHER STATE SYMBOLS
O.C.G.A. § 50-3-76 (2012)

50-3-76.
(a) The Georgia tartan is designated as the official tartan of Georgia.
(b) The Georgia tartan is that tartan accredited in Certificate Number 96027 by the Council of the Scottish Tartans Society of Scotland and is described as follows: 72 green, 4 black, 4 green, 4 black, 6 green, 24 black, 20 azure, 40 red.