Three flags fly daily over Fountain Square from a flag pole 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.