Happy 200th Birthday to the Republic of West Florida

Republic of West Florida Flag

"In the early morning hours of Sept. 23, 1810, 75 armed rebels slipped into the Spanish fort at Baton Rouge, and in what was described as a ''sharp and bloody firefight,'' subdued the garrison. They lowered the Spanish flag and raised the Bonnie Blue Flag -- a single white star on a blue field -- that had been adopted for the new nation they called West Florida." Read The New York Times, Little Known Republic in La. Celebrates 200 Years.

For more information, see Southeastern Louisiana University, West Florida Bicentennial Celebration.