by Rick Bavera

Created on: May 21, 2009

Ohio: Home to Burgee-shaped Flags and Buckeyes

When one thinks of Ohio, if they do, they probably think of solid, safe, middle America. Farmers, factory workers. The meat and potatoes sort of people of which American history is full.

Ohioans decided to be very different, though, in 1902, when the flag of the state of Ohio was adopted by the state legislature. It is unique among all the 50 state flags (and almost all national flags) in NOT being rectangular in shape. Its shape is variously described as "burgee" or "swallowtail." This shape, as well as triangular-shaped pennants, are normally used in nautical settings: yachts, merchant marine and other ships and boats.

This shape is an appropriate allusion for the flag to exhibit. Ohio has a Lake Erie shoreline of 312 miles.The southern border of Ohio is made up of 452 miles of the Ohio River. Much recreation, commerce and shipping takes place on both Lake Erie and the Ohio River.

The flag of Ohio was designed by John Eisemann in 1901 for the Pan-American Exposition that was took place in Buffalo, New York. John was an architect from Cleveland. He designed both the Ohio building (which housed the Ohio exhibits at the exposition) and the flag that flew over the building. The Ohio House of Representatives took note of the eye-catching flag. As Ohio did not have an official flag at the time, they acted quickly. The legislation was signed into law May 9, 1902.

The symbolism of the flag is described in the legislation that described the physical look of the flag. There are three red and two white stripes on the flag. They represent the roads and waterways (transportation and recreation) of Ohio. At the hoist end (where it is attached to the flag pole) of the flag is a dark blue triangle. Within the triangle is a white letter "O" surrounding a red disc. This represents the state nickname, The Buckeye State. There are 13 white 5-pointed stars around most of the "buckeye," and four more stars to the right of the "buckeye," making a total of 17 stars, which represents Ohio as the 17th state of the Union. The triangle and the points and indentations of the stars stand for the hills and valleys of Ohio.

The Ohio Buckeye tree (Aesculus glabra) is common in the state. It is acknowledged in the state nickname and in the representation of the red and white buckeye on the flag. The buckeye tree became the state tree in 1953. Native Americans made use of tannic acid from the tree in leathermaking. The buckeye nuts were used for food. A common confection around holiday time in Ohio and Pennsylvania is called a buckeye. This is a sphere of peanut butter fudge dipped into chocolate on a spoon, normally leaving some of the fudge exposed. The finished confection resembles the real buckeye nut.

http://www.waterwayscouncil.org/State%20Profiles/Ohi o.pdf
http://omp.ohiolink.edu/OMP/NewDetails?oid=1160733&scrapid=16389&format=yourscrap&sort=title&searchstatus=0&count=1&hits=1
http://www.fotw.us/flags/us-oh.html
http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/flags/oh_flag.ht m
http://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/atlas/little/aescglab.pd f

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