Across the United States, dozens of municipalities continue to preserve their maritime heritage through the official seals that represent them. These small emblems, unnoticed on government documents and signage, quietly tell the story of communities shaped by the sea. Many feature the image of a lighthouse, a symbol once essential to maritime navigation and now emblematic of guidance and history.
Recognizing the historical significance embedded in these civic designs, researcher and author Marvin Bubie has dedicated years to studying and documenting municipal seals. His latest book, Seals and Stories of America’s Lighthouse Heritage, compiles towns and cities whose official seals display lighthouses, revealing how these images preserve the collective memory of America’s nautical past.
Bubie, already known for On the Trail of Henry Hudson and Our Dutch Heritage Through the Municipal Seals in New York and Celebrating the American Revolution: Municipal Symbols of a Free Country, continues his exploration of how local symbols tell national stories. His new work connects art, technology, and community preservation through the enduring motif of the lighthouse.
“My books are based on my collection of municipal seals,” Bubie explained. “Each page has a seal illustrating a local lighthouse. Each lighthouse has its own history of changes to the fuel source from whale oil to kerosene to electricity. So this book traces those changes in improvements up through automation when lighthouse keepers were no longer needed. Finally, with the advent of GPS, the lighthouses themselves were declared obsolete and the Coast Guard began to dispose of them. Almost universally the local populations came together and raised money to take over and preserve the lighthouse. The last stage in the evolution of lighthouses is a tourist attraction and a venue for celebrations.”
Bubie’s account is supported by historical patterns seen across the country. From Maine to California, local communities have stepped forward to restore and maintain their coastal beacons, transforming them from outdated navigational tools into cherished landmarks and centers for tourism. In many towns, the image of the lighthouse on a municipal seal serves as both a historical record and a visual pledge to safeguard a vital part of America’s maritime identity.
Seals and Stories of America’s Lighthouse Heritage is now available for purchase on Amazon.
About the Author
Marvin Bubie grew up in Upstate New York, graduating Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is retired from General Electric and is U.S. Army veteran of the 14th Armored Cavalry.
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