Missouri seal was the work of a county commissioner. The internet can’t stop laughing
Sometimes the Show-Me State shows a little too much.
Consider what might be called The Not So Great Seal of St. Francois (pronounced Francis) County, about 70 miles south of St. Louis.
On Tuesday the county emblem — slapped together about four years ago by Harold Gallaher, the county’s admittedly non-artistic county commissioner — became an internet joke when Gallaher, who calls his own work “a piece of junk,” said at a public meeting that it might be time for a do-over.
“I tell people I’m artistically de-clined,” Gallaher, 74, said to The Star Wednesday. “I readily admit it’s a poor design.“
“Poor” is in the eye of the beholder, but the seal is unarguably packed: At center sits a fluttering American flag and diving bald eagle. There’s a Bible and cross and the words “In God We Trust,” because, Gallaher said, “We’re in the Bible belt.” There’s a map of the county, the 1821 date it was founded, a pick and shovel representing mining, all surrounded by the bright red words, “The Great Seal of St. Francois County.”
The county, rather than using taxpayer money, is now asking for submissions. Gallaher, a mechanical engineer by trade, concedes that the design is “jumbled,” and “busy,” but if he had his way, he said, he’d actually add something to the design.
“We’re called the Parkland,” he said. “We are surrounded by wonderful parks. I would really like to have something on that seal to commemorate those parks. I would like to see that added to the other items on there.”
“I don’t know what a good symbol would be for parks. Is that a hiker with a walking stick? Maybe it’s a picnic table.”
Why not both?
People added their voices.
“I’m all for being frugal,” said one Twitter user, “but maybe St. Francois county should throw a couple hundred at a graphic artist and make a seal that doesn’t look like it was made in 2 minutes using clip art & MS Paint.”
“The St. Francois county seal is real and it is a hot mess,” said another.
Still others found beauty in the beast.
“I’m a preservationist now,” wrote one, “for the St. Francois County Seal.”
Others just found it ludicrous.
“Something can be terrible. Or you could be ‘Seal of St. Francois County’ terrible. This is where I live, yes this is their actual seal that they unveiled in 2018 and yes it was put together by a grown adult.”
One just found it mesmerizing.
“Can’t stop thinking about the official seal of St. Francois County, MO,” he wrote, adding an emoji with hearts for eyes.
While on Reddit, the poor design garnered more than 850 comments, including one that reads:
“Never mind the unconstitutional Christian symbolism and religious slogan, it’s amateurish and overdone. Saint Francis would never approve”
To be fair, Gallaher never expected his seal to stick around as long as it has. The previous seal, which was barely less busy, he said, was designed by a high school student and only existed on fabric as needlework. He explained he came up with his design after getting a call on a Friday from a local organization that needed a copy of the county seal for a program. By Monday, he’d created his version, which he thought would be an “interim” seal.
“I had to come up with something,” Gallaher said.
A local newspaper will soon run a contest asking for submissions.
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 2:32 PM.
