CAPE CHARLES, VA — A growing number of locals are calling for a fresh look at the town’s official seal, arguing that the current design doesn’t fully capture the community’s rich industrial past or represent the diverse town it has become.
The existing municipal seal features the beach and the Gazebo on Bay Avenue. While the imagery reflects the town’s lust for tourism dollars, some citizens say it overlooks Cape Charles’s significant role as a major railroad and maritime hub that shaped the Eastern Shore’s economy for generations.
In response, citizen Adam Michael Hamilton created a new version of the town logo, seen below:
The seal shows that Cape Charles was built as an industrial powerhouse, where the railroad met the Chesapeake Bay, where freight and passengers moved between the Eastern Shore and Norfolk. That heritage of commerce, innovation, and hard work deserves recognition.
Cape Charles was established in 1886 by the Pennsylvania Railroad as the southern terminus of its Delmarva Peninsula line. The town’s deep-water harbor facilitated a bustling ferry operation that transported entire rail cars across the Chesapeake Bay, making it a crucial link in East Coast commerce until the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel opened in 1964.
Proponents of a redesign suggest that a new seal could incorporate elements reflecting this industrial legacy — perhaps including the historic railroad pier, ferry operations, or the harbor that remains central to the town’s identity.
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