Shortly after 1776, states like New Hampshire began to adopt their own official state seals, mottos, nicknames, and much more, which are all used to symbolize and represent the uniqueness of each U.S. state.
New Hampshire has had its own state seal for over 200 years! It was first created in 1775 by the First Provincial Congress and it featured a pine tree and an upright fish, which were used to represent the two major economic resources during that time period. There was also a bundle of 5 arrows in the middle, which displayed the strength and unity among the 5 different countries at that time.
The seal was revised in 1784 to display a ship on stocks with the sun rising in the background, this shows how Portsmouth, NH became a major shipbuilding center and city during the years of the war. Over the next hundred years the seal has had more adjustments made to it as new dies were added every few years. The new additions included rum barrels with sometimes people stood next to them, however, it was in 1931 when the seal that we know today was called for and was officially described by legislature.
What Is The State Seal Of New Hampshire?
The New Hampshire state seal of today features the frigate Raleigh, which was built in Portsmouth, NH during 1776 as one of the original 13 warships sponsored by the Continental Congress for the new American navy. The “1784” that featured on the old seal was changed to “1776”, and the old Latin phrase “Neo Hantoniensis 1784 Sigillum Republica” was replaced by “Seal of the State of New Hampshire 1776”.
The 1931 seal law meant that only a granite boulder could be shown in the foreground as a symbol of the rugged terrain and landscape of New Hampshire. The state seal can also be found on the official state flag.
