The Ohio State Flag, officially adopted in 1902, is the only American state flag that is not rectangular in shape. Based on the pennant flown by the Ohio cavalry during both the Civil and Spanish-American Wars, its swallowtail shape is technically known as a burgee. Designed by John Eisemann for the Pan-American Exposition, the Ohio burgee is made up of a large blue triangle representing the hills and valleys of the state and five alternating red and white stripes representing its roads and waterways. Within the triangle are 17 stars around a large white circle with a red center. The 17 stars denote Ohio as the 17th state to join the Union, and the circle represents the first letter of the state name as well as the state’s nickname “the Buckeye State.†A special method for folding the Ohio State Flag was created in 2005 by Alex Weinstock, an Ohio Boy Scout, and signed into law later that year.
