City Adopts A New Seal
New Seal Features Burr Oak
City Adopts A New Seal
Ann Arbor City Council took
the current nostalgia craze
seriously Monday night and
restored to prominence the
original city seal design.
Council voted unanimously
to reinstate a copy of the seal
design adopted April 11, 1870.
It depicts a large Burr Oak
tree surrounded by the words
"City of Ann Arbor, Mich-
igan."
For some reason, not ex-
plained to council, that seal
was abandoned on March 16,
1925, when the current city
seal was adopted. It shows a
grape arbor above a wreath
with the insignia representing
religion, education and indus-
try.
But in a message to council
from Mayor James E. Ste-
phenson it was noted that sev-
eral historians of this area
have pointed out that the ar-
bor of grapes frames the old
dome of University Hall,
which is often mistaken for a
capitol building.
The type of seal most appro-
priate depends, of course, on
the still unsettled question of
how Ann Arbor was named.
Mayor Stephenson presented
to council an article written
by city historian Wystan Ste-
vens which quoted Dr. Banja-
min H. Packard, who recalled
his first view of Ann Arbor in
1825 by stating, "The Burr
Oaks were so thick in Ann
Arbor & vicinity that the
whole looked like a complete
arbor."
The new seal, designed by
Sally S. Patten, was adopted
on the provision the tree pic-
tured is a Burr Oak. Council-
man Norris Thomas questions
if the design might be some
other tree, but Stephenson
said it was copied from a
natural science dictionary.
On another matter, council
approved the transfer of all
historically relevent data
about the city to the Bentley
Historical Library for preser-
vation.
Article
Subjects
University of Michigan - Libraries
University of Michigan - Buildings
Local History
Flags - Ann Arbor
Burr Oak
Bentley Historical Library
Ann Arbor City Council
Ann Arbor - History
Ann Arbor - City Government Departments
City Seal
Sally S. Patten
Norris Thomas
James E. Stephenson
Dr. Benjamin H. Packard
Wystan Stevens