Four flags fly daily over Fountain Square. The flag pole is located in the southwest corner of the plaza.
At the top is the American flag.
Second is the flag of the City of Cincinnati. The Cincinnati flag is a unique flag with many important symbols. The flag design was the result of a contest and the winning design was selected in 1895, but not formally adopted until 1940. The blue color represents the river, the red “C” stands for Cincinnati, and the Buckeye leaf on top is for the State of Ohio. The symbols in the center of the flag all have significance and represent important qualities of a city. The Winged rod signifies commerce and the serpents represent wisdom. The scales signify justice and the sword represents authority and power. Lastly the phrase “Juncta Juvant” translates from Latin to “Unity Assists” or “It’s better to work together”.
The third flag is that of the Society of the Cincinnati. The Society was founded in 1783 by officers who had served the United States in the War for Independence. It is named in honor of the Roman hero Cincinnatus, a citizen-soldier who twice led his countrymen in war and, when the battles were over, declined positions of governmental power in order to return to his home and farm. George Washington was the Society’s first president. Following the war, members of the Society were active in establishing settlements in the “wilderness” between the Appalachian mountains and the Mississippi River. The small settlement of Losantiville, on the Ohio River at the mouth of the Licking River, was renamed “Cincinnati” in 1790 by Arthur St. Clair, a member of the Society and at that time governor of the Northwest Territory.
The fourth flag carries the Fountain Square logo developed in 2006 by Metaphor Studio for the newly renovated Square. The graphic shows a circle within a square, representing the Tyler Davidson Fountain in the center of the plaza. The four colors represent the four seasons, indicating that Fountain Square is active year-round. The colors and font are drawn from the brand standards developed for Cincinnati USA and its civic organizations (Regional Chamber, Regional Tourism Network, Downtown Cincinnati Inc, 3CDC, and others) in 2005.
Why the Society of the Cincinnati flag is flown daily on Fountain Square:
At the Bicentennial of the United States in 1976, a flag of the Society of the Cincinnati was donated to the City. It was flown over Fountain Square during annual ceremonies during “The Society of the Cincinnati Week” each July. Following the 1981 ceremony, the Society formally requested that the City fly the flag daily to remind citizens of our link with that period in American history.
The request, submitted on August 5, 1981, by Charles K. Lamb, stated that by being named “for the Revolutionary officers who risked their lives, freedoms, and their fortunes for the cause of liberty, by its very name Cincinnati is identified in a patriotic way with the American Revolution. No other midwestern city has a name so identified with this period of American History. It seems fitting and proper, therefore, that our citizens be kept aware of this prestigious relationship to the honor of the city.”
On September 15, 1981, City Council voted that the flag of the Society of the Cincinnati should fly on Fountain Square daily, and since October of that year it has done so. The Society donates a new flag when one wears out.
The flag was designed in 1786 by Charles-Pierre L’Enfant, who also laid out the plan for Washington, DC. The blue and white colors represent the alliance between the Americans (blue) and the French (white) during the Revolution.
