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Ohio State Flag Design Collection
Description: Design of the Ohio state flag created by architect John Eisenmann in 1901. Prior to 1901, Ohio did not have an official flag. This particular design attracted the attention of Ohio's House of Representatives. In 1901, a bill was enacted and by May 9, 1902 the design was signed into law as the state flag. The swallow-tailed pennant is steeped with Ohio symbolism. Triangles formed by the main lines represent Ohio's hills and valleys, while the stripes represent Ohio's roads and waterways. The stars indicate the thirteen original states of the Union and are grouped around a circle or O, which symbolizes the Northwest Territory. The four stars on the other side of the O denote that Ohio was the fourth new state to enter the Union. Added together, the seventeen stars signify that Ohio was the seventeenth state in the Union. The white circle with its red center represents the initial letter of Ohio and suggests a buckeye, since Ohio is known as the "Buckeye State." Text at top reads "THE OHIO STATE FLAG DESIGNED BY JOHN EISENMANN ARCHITECT & ENGINEER FOR THE OHIO STATE COMMISSIONERS TO THE PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION" View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3243_4435154_001
Subjects: Ohio Government; State flags (United States); Architects; Eisenmann, John (American architect, 1851-1924); Ohio state symbols
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)