Howard District was created from Anne Arundel County by Chapter 22, Acts of 1838 (confirmed by Chapter 50, Acts of 1839). Although unrepresented in the General Assembly, the District enjoyed the status of a county. Formed in 1851 (Const. 1851, Art. VIII, sec. I), the County was named for John Eager Howard (1752-1827), Revolutionary War officer, Maryland Governor, United States Senator and statesman.

The original Howard County seal dates back to 1840. A renowned seal designer of the time, Edward Stabler, was commissioned to produce the seal. His design included typical elements of the area: tobacco plants and a shock of wheat - important early crops; necessary farming implements, a plowed field, and rolling hills in the background. From time to time the plants in the foreground changed over the years; however, in November 1973, the original design as done by Stabler was adopted as the official county seal.

Copyright © 1990-2022 by John T. Marck. All Rights Reserved. This article and their accompanying seals, may not be resold, reprinted, or redistributed for compensation of any kind without prior written permission from the author. Maryland County Seals and Baltimore City Seal and their respective origin histories from: Maryland The Seventh State A History, © John T. Marck. All Rights Reserved. All Seals courtesy of the respective county, Office of the County Executive and/or the Department of Tourism. Reprinted with permission.

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