The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders has unveiled a new seal for the county.
“The updated design is in keeping with the intention of a previous freeholder board who, on March 9, 1798, ordered a seal with a ‘Plough and the letters Monmouth,’ ” Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry said.
“There can be little doubt that our forefathers, and mothers, knew that agriculture would always be part of our local economy. The new seal includes a historically accurate image of a moldboard plow with the words ‘County of Monmouth’ and ‘New Jersey’ encircling the border of the seal,” Burry said.
Commonly used in Monmouth County for centuries, the moldboard plow has a curved metal plate that turns over the earth from the furrow. Plows similar to the one depicted in the new seal are used to till the fields at Historic Longstreet Farm in Holmdel, according to a press release.
“The green field and the brown furrows on the lower half of the new seal represent Monmouth County’s green spaces and active farmland,” Freeholder Deputy Director John P. Curley said. “As the plough is pushed through the soil it creates long trenches, or furrows, in the fertile soil; the green field is a nod to both locally grown crops and open space preservation.”
“The tree line and blue sky represent the county’s long-standing commitment to land preservation for the purpose of protecting farmland, open space and water resources,” Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone said. “Monmouth County is a state and national leader in preservation with more than 15,000 acres of preserved farmland and more than 16,500 acres of county park lands.”
“A great addition to the new seal is including the year in which Monmouth County was carved out of the Province of East Jersey,” Freeholder Serena DiMaso said. “On March 7, 1683, the Provincial General Assembly created the counties of Monmouth, Bergen, Essex and Middlesex.
“Pushing the plow forward is a farmer,” Freeholder Gary J. Rich Sr. said. “Representing the hardworking spirit of the people of Monmouth County, the farmer works from sun-up to sundown. Our workforce continues that tradition in the farm fields, offices, retail shops and our many Made in Monmouth businesses.”
The new seal will be incorporated in county communications and be placed on the county flag and county vehicles, signs and other identifiers as items are replaced or upgraded, according to the press release.
