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Tag: State Seal

A key anniversary for our State Seal

A key anniversary for our State Seal

As state history buffs and many others know, this year marks the 125th anniversary of Washington reaching statehood in 1889. Several key events that year led up to the historic date of November 11 when we became the 42nd state. Among those events happened on August 19 that year when the Constitutional Convention approved one of three designs for the State Seal. The convention members had trouble choosing the motto. They rejected “Our varied industries invite you,” “Westward the star…

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Central Asian student leaders visit our office

Central Asian student leaders visit our office

One of the highlights of working in our office is seeing the flow of visitors to the Capitol, not only from our state but from around America and the world. The latest example is a group of 20 female student leaders from five Central Asian nations who stopped by our office Wednesday morning during their daytrip to Olympia . The students, from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, are in Washington to participate in the 2013 Study of the United…

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Tapeworm initiative, part deux

Tapeworm initiative, part deux

Not to be a killjoy, but it’s been pointed out that one can’t willy-nilly (or Willy Tapeworm) go and change the Great Seal of Washington.   Turns out, to do so takes a constitutional amendment, and you can’t amend the Constitution by voter initiative. As we’ve noted, James Vaughn of Ortingfiled an initiative to change the official seal from its depiction of the Father of the Country, George Washington, to one featuring a tapeworm dressed in a three-piece suit, attached to the nether region…

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Didyaknow?…

Didyaknow?…

… that you can find real gold in our State Capitol?  (To be fair though, there’s so little of it that I used to tell tour groups there is more gold in my grandma’s teeth than in the capitol!) In the State Reception room hang six red French velvet curtains with a gold State Seal in the center.  Each seal was hand stitched by a different woman back in the 1920’s, so each of the seals are unique.  The thread used to write “The…

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Start Christmas shopping early at State Seal Store

Start Christmas shopping early at State Seal Store

Looking for a primo Washington gift? Want to pick up a little something for yourself? Take an online stroll through our  new and improved Washington State Seal Store Catalog on the Web, where you can buy all sorts of Evergreen State goods – from coffee mugs, to desk sets, to fine Kusak crystal glassware.  These unique items, embedded with the Washington State Seal, make wonderful keepsakes and souvenirs.  All items can be purchased either online or at the Secretary of State’s Office’s front desk in…

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Didyaknow…?

Didyaknow…?

The very first protesters on the State Capitol steps were the Sons of the American Revolution.  In 1929, they protested the fact that everyone could walk across the bronze State Seal with the image of George Washington on the rotunda floor.  They thought it was disrespectful that citizens could actually tread across the face of our first president. One year later, their voices were heard and ropes did go up to protect the State Seal.  In that short amount of…

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Shop ’till ya drop…

Shop ’till ya drop…

Looking for that perfect gift for someone coming in from out of town, or a relative or for a co-worker’s birthday?  Want to give a gift that screams “Washington”?  Well, look no further than to our State Seal Store.  Items ranging from crystal stemware, pewter desk sets, travel mugs, velvet wine bags and so much more can be found right in our lobby.  And, all profits from the sale of each item go directly to the preservation of the historic…

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