Ohio History Center To Get Patriotic Facelift

Large flag hung on the east side of the History Center

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A 19-foot wide by 28-foot tall Ohio flag now adorns the Ohio History Center. To download photos and video of the Ohio flag installation that took place on Tuesday, July 19, please visit: http://www.pitchengine.com/preview-release.php?id=160558.

"The state flag on our building serves as a magnificent reminder of the vast history of Ohio. The importance and diversity of this history is represented in part through the 58 sites within the Ohio Historical Society network," said Burt Logan, Ohio Historical Society's executive director.

The flag commemorates a patriotic time of year and announces the military-themed exhibits in the Center including: Follow the Flag: which features 12 actual battle flags from the Civil War.

"We have visitors from all over the world and the Ohio flag is distinctive. It's the only US state flag in the shape of a pennant," said Jane Mason, director of marketing and communication for the Ohio Historical Society (OHS). "2012 marks the 110^th anniversary of its adoption as our state flag."

The flag on the building is part of the process to make the statewide structure of OHS better understood. The Society is rethinking how it makes collections more available. For example, within the past year, in Columbus, it has changed from being open one day a week to five days a week. Additionally, now hundreds of additional items previously in storage are on display in the exhibits that opened on July. "We're excited about continuing our role as the cultural organization that champions Ohio history," said Mason.

The flag was produced the week of July 4^th by the Morrison Sign Company. It weighs nearly 40 lbs. and is made of UltraMesh Plus material, a material designed for large-scale building signage.

For information about OHS, call 800.656.6124 or visit www.ohiohistory.org. For information about the sites: http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/name.shtml

OHS serves to preserve and interpret Ohio's history, archaeology, natural history and historic places. Its collections hold more than 1.8 million artifacts. OHS is responsible for 58 historic sites in 40 Ohio counties. It is the largest statewide network of sites and museums in the nation. The Society is located at the intersection of I-71 and 17^th Avenue in Columbus, OH.

SOURCE Ohio Historical Society