Spanish Fort considering changes to city seal

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During the April 2 Spanish Fort City Council work session, the council discussed the possibility of making changes to the city seal.

Mayor Mike McMillan said the changes were being made to reflect better historical accuracy.

“The Spanish, French and British flags were inaccurate, so we’ve changed them,” McMillan said. “We’re putting the American flag in a more prominent role in the middle along with the state flag, and we will also have the Third National Flag of the Confederacy, which was the flag that was adopted at the time of the Battle of Spanish Fort.”

The proposed four changes to the flags shown on the seal included:

-       The current Spanish flag on the seal was not used after 1506. Since

the Spanish didn’t come to Baldwin County until after 1519, it was

recommended to change the Spanish flag to the Burgundy Cross.

-       The current French blue fleur-de-lis flag on the seal was not used

after 1598. Since the French did not settle in the area until 1702, it

was recommended to change the flag to the more historically accurate

white fleur-de-lis flag.

-       The current British flag shown on the seal is the flag of the United

Kingdom, which was not established until 1801. Since England ruled

Baldwin County from 1763 to 1780, the recommendation was to change

that flag to the flag of the kingdom of Great Britain.

-       The current Confederate flag shown on the seal from the Beauregard

Battle Flag to the Third Flag of the Confederacy, as it was the flag adopted at the time of the Battle of Spanish Fort.

The move is similar to one undertaken by the Baldwin County Commission to change the county’s seal back in 2015, though the county chose to go with the First Flag of the Confederacy instead of the Third Flag chosen by Spanish Fort.

The council will hold a public hearing about the changes during its April 16 council meeting at 6 p.m. at the Spanish Fort Community Center.