Belmont 150th - Town Seal

Town Seal

The design of the Belmont Town Seal is featured on three of the commemorative items currently being sold to raise funds for the Sesquicentennial celebration of the incorporation of Belmont. A lapel pin, a Belmont chair and a town flag all bear the imprint of the seal.

The town seal appears as a raised design in gold finish on the lapel pins. They are sold for $5 each and may be purchased at the Town Clerk's Office. The Belmont chair, a hardwood captain style arm chair, displays a seal in the center of the back cross piece and a brass commemorative plaque on the reverse. It is a significant way to remember Belmont 150 and support the Sesquicentennial. The chair sells for $400 or $375 without the plaque, and may be ordered by calling George Packard at 617-484-2262.

The town flag is a 3' x 5' full color representation of the town seal on an off white field. The version of the seal used on the flag is the interpretation by Belmont artist Nelson Chase. The Historical Society provided the original flag in 1996 to be hung in the Great Hall of the State House together with those from the other 350 cities and towns in the state. The cost for the Sesquicentennial version of the flag is $50 each. Flags may be ordered by calling George Packard at 617-484-2262.

Central to the design of the town seal which appears on the commemorative items is a representation of Pomona, goddess of fruits and gardens. She holds a cornucopia overflowing with fruit in one hand and a sheaf of leaves in the other. This choice symbolizes the rich agricultural tradition of the town.

She is set against a background that contains the spire of the First Church in Belmont, the roof line of the Town Hall and a train progressing along the Boston and Fitchburg tracks to Wellington Hill station. A screen of trees unites the elements that comprise the background.

The First Church had been built prior to incorporation, in 1857, to answer the need for such an institution in a new town. When Belmont became incorporated in 1859, the town hall or meeting room was in the church. It subsequently (1867) moved into a room in the original high school on School Street. These quarters also proved inadequate for the purpose and a new red brick Queen Anne style town hall was constructed.

The Belmont Town Hall was dedicated in June of 1882. The town seal was accepted at a town meeting in the new town hall on December 4, 1882. Henry Mitchell was the engraver.

The trefoil frame for the scene on the seal is thought to represent the towns of Watertown, Waltham and West Cambridge (now Arlington) from which Belmont separated in 1859. A laurel branch and a spray of oak leaves decorate the left and right sides of the frame. The laurel represents victory and the oak, endurance and stability. A double ring circles the seal and within it is printed "Belmont Incorporated 1859."

No reference to the Waverley Oaks is included on the seal. The original plan called for such a detail until it was discovered that only one old elm tree grew in the Belmont section of the Waverley Oaks Reservation.



Town Seal The design of the Belmont Town Seal is featured on three of the commemorative items currently being sold to raise funds for the Sesquicentennial celebration of the incorporation of Belmont. A lapel pin, a Belmont chair and a town flag all bear the imprint of the seal. The town seal appears as a raised design in gold finish on the lapel pins. They are sold for $5 each and may be purchased at the Town Clerk's Office. The Belmont chair, a hardwood captain style arm chair, displays a seal in the center of the back cross piece and a brass commemorative plaque on the reverse. It is a significant way to remember Belmont 150 and support the Sesquicentennial. The chair sells for $400 or $375 without the plaque, and may be ordered by calling George Packard at 617-484-2262. The town flag is a 3' x 5' full color representation of the town seal on an off white field. The version of the seal used on the flag is the interpretation by Belmont artist Nelson Chase. The Historical Society provided the original flag in 1996 to be hung in the Great Hall of the State House together with those from the other 350 cities and towns in the state. The cost for the Sesquicentennial version of the flag is $50 each. Flags may be ordered by calling George Packard at 617-484-2262. Central to the design of the town seal which appears on the commemorative items is a representation of Pomona, goddess of fruits and gardens. She holds a cornucopia overflowing with fruit in one hand and a sheaf of leaves in the other. This choice symbolizes the rich agricultural tradition of the town. She is set against a background that contains the spire of the First Church in Belmont, the roof line of the Town Hall and a train progressing along the Boston and Fitchburg tracks to Wellington Hill station. A screen of trees unites the elements that comprise the background. The First Church had been built prior to incorporation, in 1857, to answer the need for such an institution in a new town. When Belmont became incorporated in 1859, the town hall or meeting room was in the church. It subsequently (1867) moved into a room in the original high school on School Street. These quarters also proved inadequate for the purpose and a new red brick Queen Anne style town hall was constructed. The Belmont Town Hall was dedicated in June of 1882. The town seal was accepted at a town meeting in the new town hall on December 4, 1882. Henry Mitchell was the engraver. The trefoil frame for the scene on the seal is thought to represent the towns of Watertown, Waltham and West Cambridge (now Arlington) from which Belmont separated in 1859. A laurel branch and a spray of oak leaves decorate the left and right sides of the frame. The laurel represents victory and the oak, endurance and stability. A double ring circles the seal and within it is printed "Belmont Incorporated 1859." No reference to the Waverley Oaks is included on the seal. The original plan called for such a detail until it was discovered that only one old elm tree grew in the Belmont section of the Waverley Oaks Reservation. Town of Belmont \| Belmont Historical Society