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Patent for the Ohio Flag, 1901
Description: This item is the patent for the Ohio state flag issued by the United States Patent Office to John Eisenmann of Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to 1901, Ohio did not have an official flag. This particular design, however, created by architect John Eisenmann, attracted the attention of Ohio's House of Representatives. In 1902, a bill was enacted and by May 9, 1902 the design was signed into law as the state flag. The patent is numbered 34,810 and was approved July 23, 1901. 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." The patent is one page and measures 8.5" x 11" (21.59 x 27.94 cm). View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: PatentfortheOhioFlag,1901
Subjects: Ohio Government; Flags; Patents; Ohio state symbols
Places: Cleveland (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio); Ashtabula County (Ohio)