I salute the flag of the state of Ohio and pledge to the buckeye state respect and loyalty. This pledge was adopted 11-01-2002, and, truthfully, most people who live in the state aren't aware that there is a pledge to the flag, or the history of their flag for that matter. The official declaration states that this pledge shall be recited after the Pledge of Allegiance to the nation's flag.
The unique and very unusual shape of the flag of the state of Ohio makes it more recognizable than most other state flags. It was designed by John Eisemann as a pendant, in the shape of a burgee or swallowtail. Eisemann was an architect from Cleveland, Ohio, who, in 1900, was in the process of designing the Ohio building in Buffalo, New York, for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. The problem, he soon discovered, was that he had no flag to fly above the building, since there was no official Ohio flag. He designed the flag, possibly intending it to be a temporary banner, and, what became the state flag, flew for the first time in the state of New York.
There is no indication that Eisemann ever believed that his temporary banner would ever remain a permanent fixture in the schools and state buildings of Ohio. However, the government of Ohio thought the design was good enough to keep, and the flag was officially adopted in 1902.
Using every angle of symbolism that he could find, he created the flag red, white, and blue, mimicking the nation's flag. The blue was to symbolize Ohio's hills and valleys, and the red and white stripes, the roads and rivers.
The thirteen stars around the center circle of red and white are representative of the thirteen colonies, and the additional four stars, making a total of seventeen, represent the fact that Ohio is the seventeenth state.
Of course, the circle in the center is said to be the large O which begins the state's name, and, some say, it also represents the buckeye, the state symbol.
The rules of etiquette for the flag when carried, displayed, or flown with the United States flag are the same as for other states. It cannot be flown above the U.S. flag, it must be displayed or carried to the left of the U.S. flag, and, when no longer usable, it must be disposed of properly.
The folding rules are a little more unique. Because Ohio is the seventeenth state, and the shape of the flag is so unusual, there are specific instructions on how to fold the flag so that the end result is a total of exactly seventeen folds.
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1868
http://www.touring-ohio.com/symbols/flag-ohio.html