Seal of West Virginia

Great Seal of the State of West Virginia
Versions
Reverse
Historical coat of arms (illustrated, 1876)
Armiger	State of West Virginia
Adopted	1863
Motto	Montani Semper Liberi Libertas E Fidelitate

The Great Seal of the State of West Virginia was adopted in September 1863.^[1] The obverse center of the seal contains a boulder that has been inscribed June 20, 1863, the date West Virginia became a state. In front of the boulder lie two crossed rifles and a liberty cap as a symbol of the state's fight for liberty. The two men on either side of the boulder represent agriculture and industry. On the left stands a farmer with an ax and plow before a cornstalk. On the other side stands a miner with a pickaxe, and behind him an anvil and sledge hammer. The outer ring contains the text "State of West Virginia" and the state's motto "Montani Semper Liberi", ("Mountaineers are Always Free"; the state nickname is "the Mountain State"). The reverse of the seal, also called the lesser seal, is the official seal of the governor. Its motto reads "Libertas E Fidelitate" ("Liberty out of Fidelity").^[2]