Today in Wheeling History: July 6--The City Council officially adopted the first seal of the City of Wheeling (1836).
The seal of the City of Wheeling was first adopted on July 6, 1836, shortly after Wheeling was incorporated as a city. According to the City Council meeting minutes from that day, the Council "ordered that the seal on impression as hereto subjoined, be adopted as the seal of the City of Wheeling." This decision came after a May 18, 1836, decree where the Council instructed "that the Mayor procure for the city a seal with such devices thereon as he may judge appropriate, and that he be authorized to draw upon the treasurer for the amount required to defray the expense for so doing."
The original seal featured a nude figure of Liberty holding the scales of Justice in her right hand and supporting a staff with a liberty cap in her left hand. At Liberty's feet was a treasure chest representing the city's wealth, with city buildings depicted in front. This design was described in detail in an 1896 newspaper article about the USS gunboat "Wheeling," which explained the symbolism behind various elements of the seal.
Over time, the seal was updated to show the old State Capitol/City-County Building, likely after 1885 when the state government left Wheeling. The modern seal still retains key elements like Lady Liberty with the scales of justice, the staff, and the old City-County Building in the background, though it has been simplified and stylized.
In the 1990s, the seal was further simplified to allow for easier reproduction on digital sign cutting machines. Tim Birch, Director of Operations for the City of Wheeling, provided insight into this process in a 2016 email. He explained, "The seal was simplified a bit so we could reproduce it on our digital sign cutting machine a little over 20 years ago. We were placing the seal on doors and vehicles... It was never meant to replace the old seal."
Importantly, Birch shed light on the challenges they faced with the older versions of the seal. He stated, "the old seals we saw had been a copy of what I assume was an original seal about 12 copies ago and was getting pretty rough." This indicates that the seal had been reproduced multiple times over the years, likely resulting in a loss of detail with each iteration. Birch continued, "We tried to make it as exact as the seal we had but due to it being a copy it was hard to get all the details off so we did what we could to make it work for the digital cutter." This explanation highlights the practical considerations that led to the simplification of the seal's design, while also emphasizing the intent to preserve its essential elements.
Throughout its history, the seal has symbolized Wheeling's commitment to justice, liberty, and civic pride, serving as a visual representation of the city's values and heritage, despite the necessary adaptations made for modern reproduction methods.
To learn more: (https://shorturl.at/hbHYJ) (https://shorturl.at/ZM8hZ) (https://shorturl.at/37VCC)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; City of Wheeling
The seal of the City of Wheeling was first adopted on July 6, 1836, shortly after Wheeling was incorporated as a city. According to the City Council meeting minutes from that day, the Council "ordered that the seal on impression as hereto subjoined, be adopted as the seal of the City of Wheeling." This decision came after a May 18, 1836, decree where the Council instructed "that the Mayor procure for the city a seal with such devices thereon as he may judge appropriate, and that he be authorized to draw upon the treasurer for the amount required to defray the expense for so doing."
The original seal featured a nude figure of Liberty holding the scales of Justice in her right hand and supporting a staff with a liberty cap in her left hand. At Liberty's feet was a treasure chest representing the city's wealth, with city buildings depicted in front. This design was described in detail in an 1896 newspaper article about the USS gunboat "Wheeling," which explained the symbolism behind various elements of the seal.
Over time, the seal was updated to show the old State Capitol/City-County Building, likely after 1885 when the state government left Wheeling. The modern seal still retains key elements like Lady Liberty with the scales of justice, the staff, and the old City-County Building in the background, though it has been simplified and stylized.
In the 1990s, the seal was further simplified to allow for easier reproduction on digital sign cutting machines. Tim Birch, Director of Operations for the City of Wheeling, provided insight into this process in a 2016 email. He explained, "The seal was simplified a bit so we could reproduce it on our digital sign cutting machine a little over 20 years ago. We were placing the seal on doors and vehicles... It was never meant to replace the old seal."
Importantly, Birch shed light on the challenges they faced with the older versions of the seal. He stated, "the old seals we saw had been a copy of what I assume was an original seal about 12 copies ago and was getting pretty rough." This indicates that the seal had been reproduced multiple times over the years, likely resulting in a loss of detail with each iteration. Birch continued, "We tried to make it as exact as the seal we had but due to it being a copy it was hard to get all the details off so we did what we could to make it work for the digital cutter." This explanation highlights the practical considerations that led to the simplification of the seal's design, while also emphasizing the intent to preserve its essential elements.
Throughout its history, the seal has symbolized Wheeling's commitment to justice, liberty, and civic pride, serving as a visual representation of the city's values and heritage, despite the necessary adaptations made for modern reproduction methods.
To learn more: (https://shorturl.at/hbHYJ) (https://shorturl.at/ZM8hZ) (https://shorturl.at/37VCC)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; City of Wheeling
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