Flag and seal of New Hampshire

State of New Hampshire
UseCivil and state flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagSmall vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagReverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion2:3
Adopted1909; 117 years ago (1909)
Modified January 1, 1932
DesignA state seal wrapped by a golden laurel wreath with nine stars on a blue field.
Designed byHelen Seavey
Great Seal of the State of New Hampshire
Versions
Historical coat of arms (1876)
ArmigerState of New Hampshire

The seal of New Hampshire, codified by law in 1931, features the frigate USS Raleigh, encircled by a laurel wreath and nine stars. A granite boulder appears in the foreground, while water represents the harbor of Portsmouth.[1] The U.S. state of New Hampshire has held two seals since it declared its independence from Great Britain on January 5, 1776.

The flag of New Hampshire, adopted in 1909, consists of the state seal centered on a blue field.[2] It is currently unique among U.S. state flags for including the Stars and Stripes within the seal.

Seal history

New Hampshire's current constitution took effect in 1784, accompanied by a revised state seal depicting a ship under construction with a rising sun in the background, to reflect Portsmouth's prominence as a shipbuilding center during the American Revolutionary War.

In 1919, Otis G. Hammond, Director of the New Hampshire Historical Society, prepared a formal history of the state seal and flag at the direction of the Governor and Executive Council, wrote a history of the state seal and flag. Here, Hammond detailed how the lack of a specific legal description had allowed considerable variation in seal designs. Over time, successive engravers had introduced additional elements, including various goods on the dock and, in some instances, figures standing beside them.[3]

1904 seal retaining Latin inscription

So, in 1931, during Governor John G. Winant's second term, a committee was appointed to produce a standardized, noncontroversial seal. The General Court approved the committee's recommendations, and a statute codifying the official design took effect on January 1, 1932[4][5] The law designated the frigate Raleigh, built in Kittery, Maine in 1776, as one of the first warships of the Continental Congress as the central element of the seal. It replaced the former Latin inscription with "SEAL OF THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE", specified a diameter of 2 inches in diameter, and declared that only a granite boulder appear in the foreground.[4]

The law requires the scene to include:[6]

  • a straight horizon line of the sea across the field,
  • a rising sun visible above the horizon for about one-third of its diameter,
  • the ship shown broadside on the stocks, bow higher than the stern,
  • masts, tops, shrouds, and stays in place,
  • the 1777 U.S. flag on the stern staff, and pennants flying from jury masts,
  • the foreground divided into land and water by a double diagonal line,
  • no detail anywhere on the water, and only a single granite boulder on the land, and
  • the inscription "SEAL • OF • THE • STATE • OF • NEW HAMPSHIRE", encircling the design and separated by round periods, with *"1776" flanked by two stars at the bottom.

The Colony and First State Seals

Colony Seal

When New Hampshire's First Provincial Congress assembled in Exeter on July 1, 1775, it quietly swept aside its royal trappings, including the George III seal previously in use. In preparation of the 1776 state constitution, the First Provincial Congress designed a seal measuring 1½ inches in diameter and depicting an upright fish and pine tree on either side of a bundle of five arrows. The fish and pine represented the main trade of the colony and the five arrows represented each of the five counties. The seal bore the inscription: COLONY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE * VIS UNITA FORTIOR. As the colony prepared to draft its 1776 constitution, delegates created a new emblem: a 1½-inch seal depicting a fish and a pine tree flanking a bundle of five arrows. These figures represented the colony's main trades, while the arrows represented the five counties. Around them was inscribed the motto: "Vis Unita Fortior" meaning "a united force is stronger". Though never formally proclaimed, the seal appeared on military commissions starting in September 1775 and seems to have been in used until early July 1776. The General Court still prints it today beside the modern seal in copies of the state constitution.

Soon after declaring statehood, New Hampshire adopted its first official state seal on September 12, 1776. Larger at 1¾ inches, it preserved the pine, the fish, and the five arrows but added "Sigill Rei-Pub Neohantoni" to the inscription. Some members of the General Court [who?] still use it, even though no statute currently governs its design.

Flag statute

The 2024 New Hampshire Revised Statutes, Title I, Chapter 3, § 3:2 defines the state flag as follows:

The body or field shall be blue and shall bear upon its center in suitable proportion and colors a representation of the state seal. The seal shall be surrounded by a wreath of laurel leaves with nine stars interspersed.[7]

Flag history

Pre-official flags

In 1908, 1st New Hampshire Infantry replaced their old state flag with a new one. The old state flag was described as bearing a field of gold.[8]

Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag State flag with a 45 star ring, c1896-1907[9]

In 1916, Governor Rolland H. Spaulding of New Hampshire presented the 1st New Hampshire Infantry Regiment, then stationed in Laredo, Texas, with a new flag. The regimental flag consisted of a blue field bearing the state seal of New Hampshire with the coat of arms of the United States. A representative of the governor was designated to present the colors, with Colonel Healy accepting them at Camp New Hampshire on behalf of the regiment.[10]

An example of a pre-standardization design is a New Hampshire state flag produced by Lamprell & Marble of Boston between approximately 1896 and 1907. This flag featured a hand-painted state seal surrounded by a ring of 45 hand-sewn stars.[9]

Current flag (1909-present)

State flag from 1916

New Hampshire is currently the only U.S. state whose flag includes a depiction of the Stars and Stripes. It was design by Helen Seavey, she based the flag off the ones carried by the National Guard and a earlier design by Mr. Frisbees.[11][12]

A 2001 internet poll run by the North American Vexillological Association ranked New Hampshire state flag's design as 63rd out of 72 flags of U.S. states, U.S. territories and provinces and territories of Canada.[13]

Flag proposals

Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Tim McGough's proposed flag for New Hampshire (2023).

Timothy Josephson, a former member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives suggested replacing the state seal in the center of the flag with the Old Man of the Mountain in 2018 to memorialize its collapse in 2003, but no official action has been taken on the proposal.[14]

In November 2023, state representative Tim McGough proposed a bill that would have modified the flag to add the motto "Live Free or Die" in Times New Roman beneath the seal. The bill was rejected in February 2024.[15][16]

Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagC. B. Spofford's proposed state flag, 1909[17]

References

  1. ^ "New Hampshire State Flag NH updated 1931". Flag-Works over America. January 3, 2012.
  2. ^ NH.gov. "State Flag, New Hampshire Almanac". Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  3. ^ Zieber, Eugene: Heraldry in sea. Published by the Department of Heraldry of the Bailey, Banks and Biddle Company. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1895.
  4. ^ a b New Hampshire Laws 1931 and Special Session 1930: New Hampshire Public Acts and Joint Resolutions of the Legislature of 1931 and Special Session of 1930, published by the Secretary of State (The Clarke Press, Manchester, New Hampshire, 1931) p. 44. Shankle, Georg Earlie: State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and other Symbols. The H.W. Wilson Comp. New York, 1951
  5. ^ "Chapter 133: An act relating to the state flag and seal". Written at Concord, New Hampshire. Laws of the State of New Hampshire - Passed January Session, 1931 - Legislature convened January 7, adjourned May 7 (PDF). Manchester, New Hampshire: Granite State Press. 1931. p. 151-153.
  6. ^ "New Hampshire Revised Statutes § 3:9 (2024) — State Seal". Justia. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  7. ^ "New Hampshire Revised Statutes § 3:2 (2024) — State Flag". Justia. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  8. ^ New Hampshire farmer and weekly union, June 17, 1908
  9. ^ a b "EXCEPTIONAL NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE FLAG WITH A HAND-PAINTED SEAL, SURROUNDED BY 45 HAND-SEWN STARS, MADE BY LAMPRELL & MARBLE, BOSTON, CA 1896-1907". jeffbridgman.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  10. ^ "Image 10 of Laredo weekly times (Laredo, Tex.), September 24, 1916". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  11. ^ New Hampshire farmer and weekly union, February 8, 1911
  12. ^ The Barre daily times, February 19, 1909, p.2
  13. ^ Kaye, Edward. "2001 State/Provincial Flag Survey Summary". nava.org. North American Vexillological Association. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  14. ^ WMUR: "State rep proposes changing New Hampshire state flag" 18 January 2018
  15. ^ Todd Bookman (December 26, 2023). "Wave Free or Die: Should this be the new state flag?". New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  16. ^ "NH HB1016 - 2024 - Regular Session". LegiScan. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  17. ^ New Hampshire farmer and weekly union, January 20, 1909
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_and_seal_of_New_Hampshire