Andover Committee Selects Alternative Town Seal

Press release from Town of Andover:

ANDOVER, MA — On Thursday, February 1, the Town Seal Review Committee voted to select a final design concept for an alternative town seal that will be considered for adoption during Annual Town Meeting in April. After previously considering two finalist options, one featuring Old Town Hall and another featuring an Eastern White Pine Tree, the Committee selected a hybrid alternative that features Old Town Hall as the focal point with pine trees in the background. The seal also features ‘1646’ in reference to the year Andover was incorporated, the word ‘Cochichawick,’ the indigenous name for Andover and the surrounding region, and two ‘wisdom curls,’ a symbol featured on the Pennacook Abenaki flag.

The process leading to the development of an alternative Town Seal was initiated in 2021 with the appointment of the Town Seal Review Committee. The Committee was initially charged with studying and reviewing the existing seal, providing background on why the seal is in its current form, researching other town and city seals, obtaining input from the community, and working with a designer to develop draft alternatives should their recommendations include modifying the seal. In October 2022, following extensive public engagement, the Town Seal Review Committee voted to move forward with the next phase of their charge and engage the public in developing design options for an alternative town seal for the consideration of Town Meeting. Throughout the following months, the Committee solicited public input on what symbols, icons, or landmarks should be incorporated in the alternative Town Seal design.

Throughout this process, public input received by the Town Seal Review Committee through community surveys, forums, and e-mail submissions, has reflected nearly an even split within the community among those who prefer that the new seal feature an iconic building and those who prefer a natural setting. The seal design selected by the Committee reflects a compromise between these preferences.

The Town Seal Review Committee intends to conduct outreach throughout the coming weeks to present the final seal design to the community ahead of Town Meeting.

Click here to learn more.

This press release was produced by the Town of Andover. The views expressed here are the author’s own.