by Marvin W. Bubie
Mankind has always developed symbols that relate to location, nationality, family, etc. Over the centuries in Europe a set of rules developed around heraldry, primarily through rank and privilege and especially with monarchies.
What happens when people come to America, and there was no monarchy and essentially no central authority for municipal symbols?
What happens is what this book is all about. We are the freest people in the world and we take it quite for granted that if we want a seal for our town, village, etc., we are perfectly free to hold a contest. The local Board of Supervisors, or Common Council or Town Board then selects one of the entries and we proudly display it on municipal vehicles, letterheads, in our courtrooms and sometimes on the police and fire patches. They are emblems of our freedom.
Marvin Bubie was born and raised in the Capital District, graduating from Averill Park High School and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a retiree from GE and has lived in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Virginia. In addition, he spent 18 months in Germany with the U.S. Army and has returned to Europe many times visiting Switzerland, Italy, and Austria in addition to Germany. Over the years he has collected the seals from various cities, towns, counties, boroughs and villages in this country as well as those in Europe.
Marvin is also the author of On the Trail of Henry Hudson and Our Dutch Heritage Through the Municipal Seals in New York, a book about seals relating to our Dutch heritage in the Hudson River Valley.
"The Erie Canal not only made New York the Empire State, but also helped transformed the shape of our young nation. The seals contained in Marvin Bubie's latest book demonstrate the important role the Erie Canal played in the birth of many of the communities along this iconic waterway. Through his book, historians, scholars, casual history buffs and future generations are greeted with a visual history of the Erie Canal, providing a concise, illustrated catalog of how the Erie Canal molded each community into what it is today."
--- Carmella R. Mantello, Director, New York State Canal Corporation
