Facts about the Ohio State flag

The state of Ohio adopted its official flag in 1902. The Ohio burgee distinguishes itself from the other American state flags because of its swallowtail design. It is the only American state flag with a non-rectangular shape, and it is full of symbolism. The creator of the unique Ohio burgee was an architect, John Eisemann.

The Ohio State Flag’s Adoption and Shape

According to the web sites 50states.com and touringohio.com, John Eisemann, an architect, was the creator the Ohio state flag. He won the bid to design the Ohio Building for the Pan-American Exposition held in 1901. After noticing that Ohio did not have an official flag, he created a peculiar one to fly over the Ohio Building. Eisemann presented the flag for the first time in the Ohio State Pan-American Exposition Commission, which took place in Buffalo, New York in 1901. The Ohio state legislature adopted Eisenmann’s unique design as Ohio’s official flag in 1902. The flag of the state of Ohio has a distinctive shape because of its swallowtail design. EnchantedLearning.com asserts that the flag of Ohio is the only American stat flag that does not have a rectangular shape. The pennant utilized by the Ohio calvary from 1862 to 1865, during the American Civil War, inspired its design. Moreover, the Ohio Revised Code, General Provisions: Chapter Five: State Insignia; Seals; Holidays, available at codes.ohio.gov, determined that “the flag of the state shall be burgee-shaped.” For that reason, the proper name of the flag is the Ohio burgee.

The Ohio State Flag: Symbols and Meanings

Chapter Five: State Insignia; Seals; Holidays of the Ohio Revised Code established the meanings of the symbols that appear in the Ohio burgee. The large blue triangle symbolizes Ohio’s hills and valleys. The red and white stripes symbolize the roads and waterways of Ohio. The thirteen stars aligned about the circle represent the original thirteen colonies. Meanwhile, the four stars located at the apex of the triangle, opposite to the thirteen other stars, indicate that Ohio was the 17th state to join the union. The white circle with its centre, located inside the blue triangle, represents the capitalized letter “O” in Ohio. The circle also alludes to Ohio’s prominent nickname, the “Buckeye State”. In addition, the colours of the Ohio state flag are the same as the flag of the United States of America. The blue, red and white in the flag represent Ohio’s connection to the original foundation of the United States of America.