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Chester County, Pennsylvania (U.S.)

image by Mason Kaye and Falko Schmidt, 25 December 2003

Description of the flag
Seal

- indicates flag is known.
- indicates it is reported that there is no known flag.

Municipal flags in Chester County:

See also:

Description of the flag

A white flag with county map, divided horizontally in three, with each segment part of the Pennsylvania shield.

Chester County is located west of Philadelphia. No information on this one. From the 4 x 6 collection of Don Klett.
Mason Kaye, 22 November 2003

According to https://www.tehistory.org, the flag of Chester County was designed by Jan Trembley of West Goshen Township. It was first dedicated on October 26, 1982 at 11:00 AM for the county's tricentennial, in specific during the Heritage Week celebrations at the courthouse. So yes, my initial estimate was wrong.

As with many flags, this flag came into existence after a contest. I was sent a series of papers related to this flag by the county archives. The contest was open to only Chester County residents, starting on March 31, 1982, and ending on May 31. The winner was announced at the Hibernia Birthday Party on June 12. Of course, the winning design became county property.

The flag features the elements of the county seal inside of an outline of the map of Chester County. To the left of the map is a cornstalk, the right of it being a laurel branch. Above the motifs is an eagle. The background is white.
Daniel Rentería, 26 December 2023

Seal

image located by Paul Bassinson, 2 March 2019

Source: https://vista.today/
Paul Bassinson, 2 March 2019

I was sent a history of the county seal by the county archives. Interestingly, the seal goes back to 1683, when the seal was ordered to be a plow by the Provincial Council. In the summer of 1785, a new one was adopted very similar to the current one, but with one sheaf of wheat and without the mushroom at the bottom. This is likely connected to the building of a new courthouse for the move to a new county capital. In 1815, a new seal press was ordered for its court of quarter sessions with three sheaves. However, it seems both versions were used simultaneously for some decades, certainly until 1867 when new seal presses were ordered and standardized to three. In 1834, the state of Pennsylvania made it a legal requirement for each county to have its own seal. Between 1920 to 1936, a small flourish at the bottom of the shield was added. Between 1975 to 1977, the flourish was replaced with a mushroom. This is the seal that is used today.
Daniel Rentería, 26 December 2023