Ohio Flag House Bill No. 213

House Bill No. 213, shown here, was sponsored by Speaker of the House William S. McKinnon of Ashtabula County. The bill adopted John Eisenmann's design for the official state flag. The one-page act measures 8.5"x11" (21.59 x 27.94 cm). 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 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.