The Great Seal of the State of Vermont is the official seal of the U.S. state of Vermont, used to emboss and authenticate official documents. It was designed by Ira Allen, brother of

Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for ...

and one of the state's founders.

Great Seal

The seal, depicts a 14-branched pine tree rising from the forest, with a grain sheaf above. The 14 branches symbolize the Thirteen Colonies and Vermont as the 14th state admitted to the union. A cow on the right, representing Vermont's history of dairy farming, also appears. On the top of the seal are wavy lines, possibly suggesting clouds; on the bottom wavy lines suggest water. It is believed that the two sets of wavy lines might also suggest the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

and Lake Champlain, Vermont's east and west borders. The passage "Freedom & Unity"—Vermont's state motto—is centered below the state name. The motto is central to the Vermont ideal of balancing

personal freedom Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties may ...

with the individual's responsibility to their community. The seal was first used by the government of the independent

Vermont Republic The Vermont Republic ( French: ''République du Vermont''), officially known at the time as the State of Vermont ( French: ''État du Vermont''), was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The ...

as it existed prior to admission to the Union. Intended for use to emboss official documents, the seal is not intended for decorative use, the single exception being a large version carved in hardwood and affixed to the Vermont Pavilion at the Expo 67 World's Fair. That seal was later used as a backdrop behind the podium in the Vermont State House Press Briefing Room, which is now the minority party's

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

room. The large wooden Great Seal of Vermont has been moved to the working offices of the governor of Vermont at

The Pavilion A pavilion is a type of building. Pavilion or Pavillion may also refer to: Places United States *Pavilion, New York, a town ** Pavilion (CDP), New York, census-designated place within the town *Pavillion, Wyoming, a town Canada *Pavilion, Brit ...

. A more naturalistic and colorful armorial representation of the elements of the seal can be seen in the coat of arms of Vermont, which is found on the Vermont flag. It is also used on

letterhead A letterhead is the heading at the top of a sheet of letter paper (stationery). It consists of a name, address, logo or trademark, and sometimes a background pattern. Overview Many companies and individuals prefer to create a letterhead template ...

s and on signs marking state buildings, bridges, state's borders, and at Vermont welcome centers. By Vermont statute, the Great Seal of Vermont is the shared domain of the Vermont Secretary of State, the offices of the state governorship, and the legislative and judiciary branches of government. The original metal dies for the first seal of Vermont are stored at the Secretary of State's office at Redstone, a large red brick and sandstone Queen Anne style house at Montpelier.

Seals of the government of Vermont

There are various seals of the state government. Most use the coat of arms of Vermont. File:Seal of the State Treasurer of Vermont.svg, Seal of the State Treasurer of Vermont File:Seal of the State Auditor of Vermont.svg, Seal of the State Auditor of Vermont

References

External links

More information about the state seal
{{Vermont Vermont Symbols of Vermont

Great Seal

Seals of the government of Vermont

See also

References

Further reading

External links