NATCHEZ — Outside the Adams County courthouse, the flagpole tells a story of loyalty to country, state and those who gave the greatest sacrifice for both.

And Monday, county officials and a group of local schoolchildren added another chapter to that story — loyalty to home.

The board of supervisors hung the new, official Adams County flag during a brief dedication ceremony before their meeting. The design of the flag — a combination of submissions from Jessica Satterstrom Eichman and Tim Givens — was decided after the county solicited volunteer flag designs earlier this year.

The point of the flag, the supervisors said at the time, was to serve as a community symbol and rallying point for community pride.

Supervisors President Darryl Grennell said he feels good to see the new flag flying. The flagpole is still topped by the U.S. flag, followed by the Mississippi and POW-MIA flags, with the Adams County flag anchoring the symbolic fabric quartet.

“Now that the flag has actually flown at the courthouse, it is taking Adams County to another level because this is something that hasn’t been done before,” Grennell said.

Supervisor David Carter said he felt the Adams County flag was, “something that is 200 years overdue.”

During the dedication ceremony, a group of students from Cathedral School led the Pledge of Allegiance and the supervisors each spoke briefly about the symbols on the flag before hoisting it up the flagpole as a group.

At the center of the flag is the county logo, a geometrical circle ringed with the text, “Adams County, Mississippi, Established 1799.” In the ring with the text are three stars, representing the history of the three major people groups in Adams County — American Indians, blacks and whites.

Inside the center circle of the logo is a depiction of Emerald Mound — the second largest Indian mound in the U.S. — and the Mississippi River, the longest river in the U.S. The logo also depicts a sunrise over the mound and river, representing hope and progress for the future.

The background of the flag has three horizontal panels. The top panel is royal blue, representing the sky, while the white curved panel in the middle represents the Mississippi River. The bottom panel of the flag is Natchez green, representing the county seat.

The flag was officially adopted in May. Grennell said the county is working to determine the cost if county residents want to purchase a flag.