In 1988, the Ohio General Assembly
made the White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Ohio's official state ANIMAL. |
Ohio designated the Spotted Salamander
(Ambystoma maculatum) as the
official state AMPHIBIAN in
2010. |
The Adena people lived in the region between 800
B.C. and 100 A.D. Tubular tobacco pipes were
common among these ancient Ohioans, but pipes
depicting humans were rare. One of those rare
pipes was discovered within a burial mound in
Chillicothe by archaeologist William C. Mills in
1901. The effort to name the Adena Pipe
the official state ARTIFACT of
Ohio was initiated by 4th-grade students at the
Columbus School for Girls in 2009, but official
designation did not occur until May 16, 2013. |
Tomato
Juice was designated the official BEVERAGE
of Ohio in 1965. Adoption of an official beverage
coincided with the Tomato Festival held in
Reynoldsburg, Ohio. In 1870, Reynoldsburg
resident Alexander Livingston began to grow tomatoes
commercially. The Tomato Festival, which occurs
every year, honors Livingston and the tomato's
importance to Ohio's economy. In 1965, Ohio was
the second leading producer of tomato juice in
the United States, ranking behind only
California. In 2002, Ohio farmers harvested 6,300
acresof tomatoes, averaging almost 24 tons of
tomatoes per acre. |
The Blaine Hill "S" Bridge
was built in 1828 as part of the National Road
project, the first road funded by the federal
government. Not only is it the oldest bridge at
nearly 178 years, but the longest at 345 feet and
the last of the "S" three-arch
sandstone bridges on the National Road. It was
named the official BICENTENNIAL BRIDGE
of Ohio in 2002. |
The Cardinal (Cardinalis
cardinalis) was designated the official
state BIRD on March 2, 1933. In
the 1700s, Ohio was 95% forested, with very
little appropriate habitat for cardinals. As
forests were cleared, the habitat became more
suitable for cardinals. By the late 1800s,
cardinals had expanded into the modified habitat
of Ohio and could be found in all parts of the
state. Today, cardinals live in all of Ohio's 88
counties, and can be found in both rural and
urban settings. |
The Ohio Burgee
(as the swallowtail design is properly called)
was designed by John Eisemann. The large blue
triangle represents Ohio's hills and valleys, and
the stripes represent roads and waterways. The 13
stars grouped about the circle represent the
original states of the union; the 4 stars added
to the peak of the triangle symbolize that Ohio
was the 17th state admitted to the union. The
white circle with its red center not only
represents the "O" in Ohio, but also
suggests Ohio's famous nickname, "The
Buckeye State." The FLAG
was officially adopted in 1902, and is the only
official state flag so shaped. |
The Red Carnation
was designated the official state FLOWER
in 1904. It was chosen to honor President William
McKinley, an Ohioan, who was assassinated in
1901. McKinley liked to wear red carnations stuck
in his buttonhole on the lapel of his jacket. |
Ohio designated the Bullfrog
(Rana catesbelanus) as the official
state FROG in 2010. |
Senate Bill No. 243 (SB243) was introduced in the
Ohio State Senate on October 18, 2007 as a
proposal to name October 22 as "U.S.S
Hocking Day." By the time it was signed into
law on January 9, 2009 it also included a
provision naming the Tomato the
official state FRUIT. |
Flint was adopted
as the official state GEMSTONE
in 1965. A variety of quartz, flint is a hard and
durable mineral. Large quantities of this gem
exist, especially in the eastern and central
parts of the state. Flint Ridge, in Licking and
Muskingum Counties, was a major source of flint
for Ohio's Indians. The Hopewell people traded
flint with other Native Americans across the
United States. |
The current design of the GREAT
SEAL of the State of Ohio was officially
adopted in 1967 and modified in 1996. In the
foreground, a sheaf of wheat represents Ohio's
agricultural strength. A bundle of 17 arrows
symbolizes Ohio's status as the 17th state
admitted to the Union. Thirteen rays around the
sun represent the thirteen original colonies
shining over the first state in the Northwest
Territory. The background contains a portrayal of
Mount Logan, with a three-quarter sun rising
behind it--symbolizing that Ohio was the first
state west of the Allegheny Mountains. The Scioto
River flows between the mountain and the
cultivated fields in the foreground. |
| Buckeye
Chuck, a "resident" of Marion,
has been predicting the arrival of spring since
the 1970's. In 1979, the Ohio Legislature made
him the official state GROUNDHOG. |
The Ladybug was
designated as the official INSECT
of Ohio in 1975. Although the State Legislature
never designated a particular species of ladybug,
the Convergent Ladybird Beetle (Hippodamia
convergens) is the one generally considered
as an Ohio native. Ladybugs exist in all of
Ohio's 88 counties. |
Isoletus
was a trilobite that lived between 430 and 480
million years ago. At this point in time, an
ocean covered much of what is now Ohio. One of
the largest trilobites, some Isoletus
specimens reached nearly 30 inches in length. It
was designated the state INVERTEBRATE
FOSSIL in 1985. |
In
the early 1950's, the Ohio Legislature sponsored
a contest for selecting a state MOTTO.
The winning entry was sent in by twelve-year-old
James Mastronardo, and, on October 1, 1959, "With
God All Things Are Possible" became
the official motto for the state of Ohio. |
The Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
was designated the official NATIVE FRUIT
of Ohio in 2009. |
In commemoration
of the 100th anniversary of Ohio's flag, the
General Assembly adopted a PLEDGE
to the flag in 2002. The pledge states, I
salute the flag of the state of Ohio and pledge
to the Buckeye State respect and loyalty.
According to the Legislature, Ohio residents
should recite the state pledge upon completing
the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States. |
| In 1938, the
State of Ohio set the Third Friday of
Every October as Ohio POETRY DAY.
This was the first poetry day established by a
state government in the United States. Tessa
Sweazy Webb spent thirteen months lobbying the
Ohio General Assembly to create Ohio Poetry Day.
She argued, "For each living reader a living
poet, for each living poet a living reader." |
The Newark Earthworks were some
of the largest geometric earthworks ever built,
originally covering more than four square miles.
The Hopewell people built these enclosures
sometime between 100 B.C. and 400 A.D. Although
much of the Newark Earthworks were destroyed by
the growth of the city of Newark, concerned
citizens succeeded in preserving two major parts
of the site. In 2005, fourth grade students at
William E. Miller Elementary School in Newark
asked the State of Ohio to recognize the Newark
Earthworks as Ohio's official PREHISTORIC
MONUMENT, and Governor Bob Taft signed
the enabling legislation on June 7, 2006. |
In 1995, the Ohio Legislature designated the Black
Racer (Coluber constrictor
constrictor) Ohio's official REPTILE.
The black racer lives in Ohio's eastern and
southern counties. The closely related blue racer
(Coluber constrictor foxi) lives in the
northern and western portions of the state. Both
snakes provide valuable assistance to Ohio
farmers by killing various types of rodents that
can cause damage to crops. |
"Hang
on Sloopy" became the official
state ROCK SONG in November
1985. Composed by Celina-born guitarist Rick
Derringer, it was first recorded by The McCoys, a
rock band from Dayton, in 1965. Now a favorite of
the Ohio State University Marching Band, it was
first performed at the Ohio State-Illinois
football game on October 9, 1965. |
| In 1969, the Ohio
Legislature adopted "Beautiful
Ohio" as Ohio's state SONG.
Mary Earl, whose real name was Robert A.
"Bobo" King, composed the music.
Ballard MacDonald wrote the original lyrics to
the 1918 song. In 1989, with the permission of
the Ohio Legislature, Wilbert B. McBride altered
the lyrics. [lyrics] |
In 1953, the Ohio Legislature designated the Ohio
Buckeye (Aesculus glabra) as
the official state TREE. The
tree is called the buckeye because its nuts
resemble the shape and color of a deer's eye. The
buckeye is relatively common in Ohio, growing
especially well along rivers and streams and in
floodplains. |
In 1986, the Ohio General Assembly made the White
Trillium Ohio's official WILDFLOWER.
Also known as the wake robin, the snow trillium,
the great white trillium, or the large white
trillium, the General Assembly selected this
flower because it exists in all of Ohio's 88
counties. |
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