^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Quincy, Massachusetts (U.S.)

Norfolk County

image based on www.state.ma.us/bsb/images/Quincy.jpg

Description of the flag

See also:

Description of the flag

A white flag, with the city seal in the center. The seal consists of a coastal scene with sailing ships approaching land. Across the top are three dates, and a ribbon bearing MANET. The city name and date 1888 are at the bottom. The seal is edged with yellow beading. Quincy is in Norfolk County.
Source: City website ci.quincy.ma.us/
Dov Gutterman, 11 December 2002

The dates across the top of the flag are 3 dates of significance in the history of Quincy: 1625 was the settlement at Mount Wollaston, 1640 was when it was incorporated as part of the town of Braintree and 1792 was when it was incorporated as the separate town of Quincy. The date 1888 at the bottom of the flag was when it was officially made a city.

The landscape shown is taken from a sketch of Mt Wollaston (the original settlement). The sketch was done in 1840. That area of the city is now called Merrymount. In case you're curious the explanation for the name change can be found on Wikipedia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy,_Massachusetts) It's actually kind of funny.

"This settlement was named Mount Wollaston in honor of the leader, who soon after 1625 left the area bound for Virginia. The Wollaston neighborhood in Quincy still retains Captain Wollaston's name. Upon the departure of Wollaston, Thomas Morton took over leadership of the post and the settlement proceeded to gain a reputation for debauchery with native women and drunkenness. Morton renamed the settlement Mare-Mount ("Hill by the Sea") and later wrote in reference to the conservative separatists of Plymouth Colony to the south who disapproved of his libertine practices that they were "threatening to make it a woefull mount and not a merry mount". In 1627 Morton was arrested by Standish for violating the code of conduct in a way harmful to the colony and was sent back to England, only to return and be arrested by Puritans the next year. The area of Quincy now called Merrymount is located on the site of the original English settlement of 1625 and takes its name from the punning name given by Morton."

Information provided by Breeda P. Cumberton, 6 December 2011
Ivan Sache, 7 December 2011