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White Plains, New York (U.S.)

Westchester County

Last modified: 2021-08-21 by rick wyatt
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[Municipal flag] image by Masao Okazaki, 14 July 2021



See also:


The flag

There are several photos online of the mayor of the City of White Plains, Westchester County, NY standing near the city flag. See www.whiteplainscnr.com/old/images/photos/articles/fp-071701/Jul18-01.jpg and www.cityofwhiteplains.com/news/releases/CrimeStats.htm for example.

The flag is yellow, with lettering saying "White Plains" "1776" and "New York" and an emblem based on the city seal, which shows a flag bearing a sword crossed with a staff surmounted with a Phrygian Cap. This is obviously based on the Revolutionary War "White Plains Flag". The seal can be seen at www.cityofwhiteplains.com/EnglishWeb.htm.

Ned Smith, 17 September 2005

The history of the city flag and old and recent photos are in this article: https://patch.com/new-york/whiteplains/womans-club-presented-white-plains-city-flag-60-year-ago

On March 23, 1949, the Woman's Club of White Plains donated to the city of White Plains its first official flag as well as a new American flag. Mrs. Ethel Kent, president of the Woman's Club, and Mrs. Ella Sikes, chairwoman of the Civic Committee, presented the flags to Silas S. Clark, mayor of White Plains. When White Plains officially became a city in 1916, an official city seal had been adopted but an official city flag had not. During a meeting for the planning of the Independence Day celebration in 1942, the need for a flag became apparent but further work on it was suspended due to World War II. In 1948, at the suggestion of the Woman's Club, the quest for a new flag was renewed. The mayor appointed a commission to trace the background of the City Seal and to make recommendations for a City Flag. Representatives from the Common Council, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the White Plains Public Library and the Woman's Club were selected for the task.

The official seal of the city of White Plains incorporated the colors of blue and buff representative of the colors used by the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War as well as the flag carried during the Battle of White Plains. This flag consisted of a crossed sword and staff, surmounted by a liberty cap. The motto of patriot Patrick Henry "liberty or death" is above the design. The seal also contains the words "Semper Fidelis", Always Faithful, and the years 1683, 1776 and 1915. The dates correspond to the deeding of White Plains by the Indians, the Battle of White Plains and the 1915 act incorporating White Plains as a city.

After much research and inspection of old town flags, the committee submitted a sketch of its recommendation for the flag to the Common Council. On February 7, 1949, at the Common Council meeting, this flag was adopted as the official flag of the city of White Plains. During the meeting, the Woman's Club asked for the privilege of purchasing and presenting this first flag to the city. Its offer was enthusiastically accepted.

Masao Okazaki, 14 July 2021

Seal

[Municipal seal] image located by Paul Bassinson, 13 October 2019

Source: https://www.cityofwhiteplains.com/
Paul Bassinson, 13 October 2019


Version from 1949

 [Municipal flag] image by Masao Okazaki, 14 July 2021