North Carolina State Tartan

Carolina Tartan

Adopted in 1991.

The General Assembly of 1991 designated the Carolina Tartan as the official Tartan of North Carolina. (Session Laws, 1991, c. 85).

Tartan, a plaid textile design consisting of stripes of varying width and color, was first worn by Scottish Highlanders. Scottish families began to settle in both North and South Carolina in the late 1600s, with Scots eventually becoming a vital part of both colonies. The Carolina Tartan - a variation of a tartan associated with King Charles II - is believed to be the first tartan design sanctioned for a group of US states.

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)
(A303, R392, H5063)
AN ACT TO AMEND ARTICLE 9, CHAPTER 1 OF TITLE 1, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE OFFICIAL STATE EMBLEMS, BY ADDING SECTION 1-1-703 SO AS TO DESIGNATE THE CAROLINA TARTAN AS THE OFFICIAL TARTAN OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
Whereas, Scottish families began to settle in both South and North Carolina during the last two decades of the seventeenth century; and
Whereas, in the first half of the eighteenth century, large numbers of both Highland Scots and Ulster Scots settled in the two Carolinas; and
Whereas, Scots became major elements of the population of both colonies; and
Whereas, a tartan is a plaid textile design consisting of stripes of varying width and color, each tartan unique to a clan, district, or group; and
Whereas, St. Andrew's Societies are organizations for the celebration of things Scottish; and
Whereas, St. Andrew's Societies in South and North Carolina arranged for the design of Carolina Tartan and cosponsored the effort for adoption of the design by the Scottish Tartans Society, which registered the Carolina Tartan in 1981, with the United Kingdom Design Registry; and
Whereas, those St. Andrew's Societies believe that the Carolina Tartan was the first one successfully advanced for a group of states in the United States, although Canadian provinces have had their distinctive tartans; and
Whereas, since 1981, tartans have been designed for other states; and
Whereas, the Carolina Tartan is a variation of a tartan associated with King Charles II who made the grant of land in 1663 which resulted in the creation of the Carolina proprietary colony; and
Whereas, there is desire on the part of many South Carolina citizens of Scottish descent to honor their ancestral ties. Now, therefore,
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
Official state tartan
SECTION 1. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 1-1-703. The Carolina Tartan is designated as the official tartan of the State of South Carolina."
Time effective
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
Ratified the 28th day of May, 2002.
Approved the 3rd day of June, 2002.