Paul Hadley: Acclaimed artist and designer

Paul Hadley was a prolific artist who went on to design Indiana's official state flag.

He was born August 5, 1880, in Indianapolis, but lived in Mooresville most of his life — from the early 1900s through the 1950s.

He studied at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Arts in Philadelphia and was an established artist famous for landscape watercolors, which often included scenes from the Mooresville area. After winning the competition for the flag design in 1916, he went on to do several large murals. Paul also was an art instructor at Herron Institute of Art in Indianapolis and also traveled around the United States and Europe. He died on January 31, 1971, in Richmond, Ind.

Hadley's family bought their primary residence — 35 E. South Street — in 1907. This house served as Hadley's painting studio and was his residence when he designed the Indiana State Flag. Hadley sold the property in 1950.

Paul Hadley Middle School in Mooresville is named in his honor.

(Prepared by the Morgan County Leadership Academy Class of 2022 on behalf of the Morgan County Bicentennial Committee)