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)
 

Description: Front of Curt Teich postcard No. 33, featuring the Ohio State Capitol and McKinley Memorial in Columbus, the seal of Ohio, red carnation, cardinal, buckeye, and Ohio flag. The postcard was sold at the variety store of W. E. Ayres on 1049 Livingston Ave. in Columbus and was sent from Frances E. Gauger of Columbus to Lillian Netick of Almont, Colorado, 1946. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05441
Subjects: Ohio History; Ohio state symbols; Correspondence
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio);
 

Description: Back of Curt Teich postcard No. 33, featuring the Ohio State Capitol and McKinley Memorial in Columbus, the seal of Ohio, red carnation, cardinal, buckeye, and Ohio flag. The postcard was sold at the variety store of W. E. Ayres on 1049 Livingston Ave. in Columbus and was sent from Frances E. Gauger of Columbus to Lillian Netick of Almont, Colorado, 1946. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05442
Subjects: Ohio History; Ohio state symbols; Correspondence
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio);
 

Description: Ohio flag flying over the base camp of soldier Jim Lundgard in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, 1969. Lundgard wrote to Governor James Rhodes requesting an Ohio flag. The flag is part of the Ohio History Connection museum collections, catalog number H 82022. Lundgard served in Vietnam with the 9th Infantry Division Company B, 3rd battalion, 47 Infantry Division. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL01058
Subjects: Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975; Ohio History--Military Ohio; Ohio state symbols; Flags;
Places: Mekong Delta (Vietnam)
 

Description: This photograph shows a hot-air balloon on exhibit at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus, ca. 1963-1983. The balloon bears the image of a cardinal, the state bird of Ohio since 1933. Text on the base of the balloon reads: “State of Ohio” and “Your passport to Ohio.” Visible in the photograph’s bottom is a sign titled “State of Ohio” that lists the name of the governor (James A. Rhodes). Passersby are stopping to look at the balloon. A woman appears to be sitting inside an enclosure surrounding the base of the balloon. The origins of the Ohio State Fair date back to the 1840s. In 1846 the Board of Agriculture was formed. The first state fair was scheduled for 1849, but it was delayed for a year by an outbreak of cholera. After another year-long delay, the fair was held in Cincinnati. Originally the fair was held in a different location every year, due to the difficulty in traveling long distances. In 1874, Columbus was chosen as the state fair’s permanent site because transportation around the state had become much easier. Only rarely has the fair been cancelled (the only examples being a few years during World War II, when the fairgrounds was being used by the U.S. military). After 1945, the state fair resumed its annual schedule. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06669
Subjects: Hot air balloons; Ohio State Fair (Columbus, Ohio); Birds--Ohio; Cardinals (Birds); Tourism; Ohio state symbols
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Soldier Jim Lundgard displaying the Ohio flag that he requested from Governor James Rhodes while serving in Vietnam, 1969. The flag is part of the Ohio History Connection museum collections, catalog number H 82022. Lundgard served in Vietnam with the 9th Infantry Division Company B, 3rd battalion, 47 Infantry Division. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL01057
Subjects: Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975; Ohio History--Military Ohio; Ohio state symbols; Flags; Military service;
Places: Mekong Delta (Vietnam)
 

Description: Two photographs show the crowning of the Carnation Festival Queen in Alliance, Ohio. The photographs were taken in the 1960s. Alliance became known as the "Carnation City" in 1876, when Dr. Levi Lamborn began giving William McKinley a carnation prior to their congressional debates. McKinley, who was a close friend of Lamborn, considered the carnation a good luck charm and wore them throughout his career as Ohio governor and later president of the United States. The carnation became the state flower of Ohio in 1904 in remembrance of the assassinated president. In 1959, Alliance was officially designated "Carnation City" and the first Carnation Festival was held the following summer in 1960. The photographs measure View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3294_4563746_001
Subjects: Ohio Government; Arts and Entertainment; Plants and Animals; Flowers; Festivals; Ohio state symbols
Places: Alliance (Ohio); Stark County (Ohio); Mahoning County (Ohio)
 

Description: Three photographs document the annual Carnation Festival parade in Alliance, Ohio. The photographs were taken in the 1960s. Alliance became known as the "Carnation City" in 1876, when Dr. Levi L. Lamborn began giving William McKinley a carnation prior to their congressional debates. McKinley, who was a close friend of Lamborn, considered the carnation a good luck charm and wore them throughout his career as Ohio governor and later as president of the United States. The carnation became the state flower of Ohio in 1904 in remembrance of the assassinated president. In 1959, Alliance was officially designated "Carnation City" and the first Carnation Festival was held the following summer in 1960. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3294_4563693_003
Subjects: Arts and Entertainment; Plants and Animals; Flowers; Festivals; Parades & processions; Floats (Parades); Ohio state symbols
Places: Alliance (Ohio); Stark County (Ohio); Mahoning County (Ohio)
 

Description: Lois K. Ide (1920-2010) made this quilt block twice, one for the White House and one for herself. First Lady Hillary Clinton and her staff chose Lois to make Ohio’s block for the tree skirt of the Blue Room Christmas tree in 1993. Each state and territory provided one block for their state. Lois created an original design and did all the work by hand. She chose a cardinal image and had a local company transfer it onto cloth for appliquéing. The carnation is rouched and red beads mark Ohio communities with a heart for the capital Columbus. The quilt measures 56 cm x 56 cm (22 in x 22 in). Lois was a native Ohioan and resident of Bucyrus who began sewing at the early age of four. She learned appliqué and patchwork from her mother and embroidery from her aunt. After years of mastering her craft, she became a master quilter and an internationally-known teacher with students worldwide. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3698_6643363_005
Subjects: Ohio Women; Quilts; Ohio state symbols
Places: Bucyrus (Ohio); Crawford County (Ohio); Washington (D.C.)
 

Description: This image is a photographic reproduction of a print of the Great Seal of the State of Ohio. The State of Ohio has had an official seal for more than two hundred years. During that time, the state government has modified the seal several times. The current state seal was adopted in 1996. The seal illustrates Ohio's diverse geography. In the background stands Mount Logan in Ross County. Separating Mount Logan from the rest of the seal is the Scioto River. In the foreground is a freshly harvested wheat field. In the field stands a sheaf of wheat, illustrating the importance of agriculture in Ohio. Nearby stand seventeen arrows that resemble the sheaf of wheat. The seventeen arrows represent Ohio's Native Americans as well as the fact that Ohio was the seventeenth state to join the United States of America. At the top of the seal is the sun, with thirteen rays protruding outwards. The thirteen rays represent the thirteen colonies that became the original thirteen states of the United States. Some early versions of the seal also had a canal boat on the river. According to historical lore, the seal was based on the eastern view from Adena, the home of Thomas Worthington near Chillicothe. Worthington was one of Ohio's first two United States senators and he served as the sixth governor of the state. Today, Adena is a museum operated by the Ohio Historical Society. Most scholars now believe that Adena's view did not inspire the seal. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06999
Subjects: State seals; State symbols; Seals (Numismatics); Ohio; Emblems, State
Places: Ohio
 

Description: The Great Seal Of The State Of Ohio. This seal is the last one of about ten seals. The full sheaf of wheat depicts the agriculture and bounty of the state. The cluster of seventeen arrows represents the seventeenth state to enter into the United States of America. The hillside is a representation of Mount Logan in Ross County as seen from Adena Mansion. The three-quarter riding sun with thirteen rays stands for the original thirteen states shining over the the first state from the Northwest Territory. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07897
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government; State seals; State symbols