The MV Garden Club's prized 'Seale'
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Our seale is the ancient official seal of the county of Dukes County, adopted a few years after the settlement of Martha’s Vineyard. Edgartown records of 1655 state, “the common seale of this place shall be a bunch of grapes.”
The earliest representation of the seal is found in early manuscript papers kept by the Congressional Library. Certain of these papers have been designated as “Athern Mss.” Because they are original drafts of legal documents prepared by
Kames and Jabez Athern in their official capacities as Justices of the Peace and Clerk of the Courts on Martha’s Vineyard.
The representation of the seal in the Athern manuscripts of 1722 looks exactly like our former logo!
We are very fortunate to have a seal with such a long Island history. It could have gone to many other groups but it is
our good fortune to have secured it for ourselves.
The earliest representation of the seal is found in early manuscript papers kept by the Congressional Library. Certain of these papers have been designated as “Athern Mss.” Because they are original drafts of legal documents prepared by
Kames and Jabez Athern in their official capacities as Justices of the Peace and Clerk of the Courts on Martha’s Vineyard.
The representation of the seal in the Athern manuscripts of 1722 looks exactly like our former logo!
We are very fortunate to have a seal with such a long Island history. It could have gone to many other groups but it is
our good fortune to have secured it for ourselves.