Ohio’s flag is the only state flag that is not a
rectangle.Vexillologists refer to it
as a “pennant with a swallowtail tip” (“burgee” is another term for
swallowtail).The flag was designed by
John Eisemann and was adopted on May 9, 1902, nearly one hundred years after
Ohio became a state on March 1, 1803.
The circle in the center of the blue field represents the
Northwest Territory (which preceded the State of Ohio) and is also a reference
to “Ohio” as well as an artistic representation of a buckeye.The thirteen white stars nearest the hoist
side of the flag represent the original states.The four additional stars in the right side of the blue field
represent Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio - the four states that joined
the Union after the original thirteen.
The triangles formed by the main lines of the flag
represents Ohio’s hills and valleys; the stripes symbolize the state’s roads
and waterways.
