The flag of Ohio
was adopted in 1902 and designed by John Eisemann, for the 1901
Pan-American Exposition. The large blue triangle represents Ohio's
hills and valleys, and the stripes represent roads and waterways.
The seventeen stars symbolize that Ohio was the 17th state
admitted to the union. The white circle with its red center not
only represents the first letter of the state name, but also its
nickname, "the Buckeye State."
Drawn by John Eisemann, architect and designer for the Ohio State
Pan-American Exposition Commission, it is the only American state
flag that is non-rectangular, and one of only two non-rectangular
official jurisdictional flags, at the state level or above, in the
world (the other is the flag of Nepal). Loosely based upon the
design of cavalry flags of the Civil War and Spanish-American War,
the proper name for this type of flag is burgee.
The flag forms the basis of the logo of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Folding the flag
A method of folding the Flag of Ohio was created by Alex Weinstock,
an Ohio Boy Scout, for his Eagle Scout service project, which was
passed by the 125th Ohio General Assembly as House Bill 552, and
signed into law by Governor Bob Taft on February 15, 2005.
Text of 125th Ohio General Assembly House Bill #552
Flag of Ohio flying below the United States flag at Conneaut
harborThe general assembly hereby establishes a recommended
procedure for the folding of the state flag by two people. The
procedure is as follows:
With the flag unfolded, fold the flag in half lengthwise so that
the points of the flag are aligned. Fold the flag in half
lengthwise a second time to form a long strip with the red disc
facing the ground. Next, fold the pointed end back onto itself to
form a rectangle. These steps entail three folds. Starting on the
end formed by the fold of the pointed end back onto itself, fold
two inches of the flag onto itself for a flag with a three-foot
hoist and a five-foot fly, or another appropriate width of fold
for a flag of a different size. Repeat the folds a total of
fourteen times, alternating the folds in a fan-like manner. The
result is a total of seventeen folds symbolizing that Ohio was the
seventeenth state admitted to the Union. Finally, neatly and
snugly wrap the remaining length of flag around the fan-folds to
form a compact rectangle.
Sterling Silver Charm of Ohio |
