City Seal
The city seal was designed to show the Far East Trade that shaped Salem's commercial history. George Peabody, son of the patriarch of the pepper merchants, and himself a ship owner, drew a design of a man wearing a flat turban, red trousers and belt, and blue jacket meant to represent the Sumatran men that they traded with for the pepper trade. In the center is a full-rigged vessel on the high seas. The palm tree near the figure would have been an indigenous tree. A dove bearing an olive branch of peace in its mouth represents Salem the city of peace. Around the circumference, translated from Latin, are the dates of Salem's founding(1626) and incorporation(1836).
In October of 2025, Members of the City Seal Task Force came together to formally vote on whether to recommend changing the city seal to the City Council. The Task Force was established in September of 2024 has been tasked with engaging in research, community conversations, design, and historical review to evaluate and potentially modify the seal. The initiative was brought about by members of Salem's Asian community that were concerned about the seal perpetuating a stereotypical, offensive depiction of someone of Asian descent.
The Motto of the city on the seal is:
"Divitis Indiae usque ad ultimum sinum"
"To the Farthest Port of the Rich East"
See Also
Vertical File in the Salem Collection - Salem City Seal
Essex Institute Historical Collections Vol. 8, p. 3-10
Town and City Seals of Massachusetts by Forbes, p. 102-3
Historical Sketch of Salem Osgood, p. 56-7
Historical Profile of Salem City clerk's office
"City, town seals provide glimpse into region's colorful history" Salem News, Aug. 11, 2003, p. B5
"To the farthest ports of the rich east; despite decline of East India trade, city featured maritime theme on seal" Salem Evening News, Sept. 27, 2000, p. A2
"Promoting Salem's identity as the City of Peace" Salem Gazette, Apr. 1, 2011, p. 6
"Historian explores city seal complexities" Salem News, Oct. 21, 2025, p. A01
"Group urges Salem to change city seal, Seal used since 1839" Salem News, Oct. 24, 2025, p. A01
