Allegheny County - Our County Seal
The present form of the Allegheny County Seal was decreed by the Pennsylvania Legislature more than 100 years ago, and the colonial emblems have remained, taking on new significance.
The ship symbolizes the vast commercial traffic which Allegheny County carries on with the rest of the world. The plough signifies subterranean and earth-related resources, thus emblematizing the agricultural and mining activities of the county, and would also include the early glassmaking and other domestic-related county industries. The sheaves of wheat typify the county's harvests, both agricultural and as the result of human industry and initiative in the areas of mining, manufacturing, and intellectual production. Surrounding and surmounting the seal are a cornstalk, signifying abundance; an olive branch, which stands for peace; and an eagle, which denotes sovereignty.
