Mississippi County Flag and Seal Establishment
The flag and seal designs were requested by the Quorum Court in 2000 and Mississippi County Quorum Court Resolution No. R-99-14 on September 28, 1999 established a special committee to recommend a design for an Official Flag and Official Seal for Mississippi County, Arkansas. County Judge Steve McGuire appointed Nancy Balton, Co-Chairman; Dr. Eldon Fairley, Co-Chairman; Jim Gardner; Mary Bryan Goble; Robert Wiley; Alena Wiley; and Sandra Kennet as members of the Mississippi County Flag and/or Seal Design Committee. The specific purpose of this special committee was the development of a design suitable for use on a flag and/or seal for county business, civic and historical purposes. Design submissions were requested from the public and the Special Committee made their selections from the submitted designs. All submitted designs were forwarded to the Quorum Court Planning and Development Committee with the recommended choices of the Special Committee. The Planning and Development Committee then forwarded their recommendation to the Quorum Court which made the final selection. Mississippi County Quorum Court Resolution No. R-2000-10 approved the seal design submitted by John Allen Nelson and flag design submitted by Shirley M. Richards, Charles Ramey and the Flag Committee as the Official County Seal and Flag of Mississippi County, Arkansas adopted on June 27, 2000.
Mississippi County Seal Design Specifications
This county seal is round and composed of elements taken from various government seals of states and federal institutions. The background of the entire seal is painted a royal or dark blue. The center piece is the federal eagle with the olive branch in its right claw signifying a people intent on peace and thirteen arrows in its left claw signifying its ability to wage war; in addition the number thirteen represents the original thirteen colonies of what lead to be our United States. The federal eagle is basic to our various forms of government and this is why it was chosen to be the center piece of this seal.
The breast plate or shield sits center of the eagle and in the lower center portion of the seal itself and is divided into two sections. The top half is a banner type version of our own United States Flag with white stars on a blue background making up the top portion and alternating red and white vertical strips beneath. Below that, on the lower half of the shield is a likeness of our own Arkansas State Flag. The background of the diamond shape is painted red with black lettering spelling "ARKANSAS" in capital letters. These two likenesses of our own flags are situated on a black or gray background. The breast plate plays a large role in this design. It immediately implies to the viewer three things. (1) This seal is governmental in nature (2) The seal represents the United States (3) The seal represents the state of Arkansas. As our economies and communication evolve more toward a global scale these attributes become more and more significant. Above the federal eagle and centered in the upper portion of the seal itself are the words "MISSISSIPPI COUNTY' written all in caps. The font style is "Empire Regular" and the lettering is painted a bright gold color (a variation of this would be that the lettering be made in black). Centered between MISSISSlPPl and COUNTY are thirteen small black stars signifying the thirteen districts of the county. The size and location of the text "MISSISSIPPI COUNTY" are important. They are centered in the upper portion of the seal and imply to the viewer who can read vertically, that this seal comes from Mississippi County, and then continuing to read vertically from top to bottom, which is situated in the United States, and furthermore located in the state of Arkansas. The size of this lettering in proportion to the overall seal is approximately a ratio of 1: 16 (example: for a seal with a diameter of sixteen inches, the lettering would be one inch in height, with corresponding width).
Encircling the outer edges of approximately the top seventy percent of the seal are the words COUNTY GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY. They are printed in the same size as the above text of MISSISSIPPI COUNTY, at a ratio of 1: 16, and are also painted in the same color (bright gold or black lettering). These words also play an important role of the seal. Since our county name is also the name of our neighboring state to the southeast of us, it is important for the seal to make the viewer certain that this is a county seal located in the state of Arkansas rather than be confused with the state of Mississippi. Below the federal eagle, centered just beneath the tail feathers, is a banner with the lettering of: MDCCCXXXIII. This is the Roman numeral equivalent of the year 1833, in which our county was established. This is painted in black on a white background. This asserts a historical statement. Lending credibility to the seal, it tells the viewer that this seal is backed by years of successful government. It shows we have a history and are proud of it.
What is now Mississippi County once formed a part of Arkansas County, then of Phillips and next of Crittenden, and was finally erected into a separate county by the Territorial legislature November 1, 1833. It was named for the Mississippi River, which forms the entire eastern boundary. Written in the lower portion of the outer edges of the seal is the text: "ESTABLISHED BY THE ACT OF THE TERRlTORIAL LEGISLATORS OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS" painted in black and written in all caps, this lettering will be printed in considerably smaller text. This text will begin and end at the edges or the text written in the upper portion of the seal, making the wording encompass the entire diameter of the seal. This text gives credibility to the official nature of the seal and shows it is sanctioned by the State of Arkansas.