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

Ulster County, New York (U.S.)

image by Jens Pattke, 31 July 2013

Description of the flag
Resolution No. 66

- indicates flag is known.
- indicates it is reported that there is no known flag.

Municipal flags in Ulster County:

See also:

Description of the flag

At www.shawangunk.org are photos of an orange/white/blue tricolor with a large gold seal. The photos were taken in the town of Shawangunk in Ulster County NY. The seal seems to be that of the county- see www.co.ulster.ny.us/graphics/seal.gif - but details are not clear enough to be definite. This will need confirmation. Whether it is the county flag, the town flag or some local organization, the orange/white/blue arrangement is doubtless a reflection of the New Netherland heritage of the area.
Ned Smith, 24 July 2005

Like its eastern neighbor, Dutchess County, Ulster also adopted the Dutch colors on its flag. The seal was created in 1976 for the nation's 200-year anniversary and shows a prerevolutionary farmer standing before a Dutch stone house with the year of the county's establishment - 1683 - below him.

Reference:
www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/June-2013/Flag-Day-The-Hudson-Valleys-County-Flags-and-the-History-Behind-Their-Emblems/
Jens Pattke, 31 July 2013

Resolution No. 66

image by Paul Bassinson, 14 July 2014

On July 1st, I visited the Ulster County Clerk's Office and the county archives in order to obtain information about the Ulster County flag. The transcript of the documents I obtained on the flag (and the county seal) are as follows:

"March 14, 1974 - Proceedings of the Ulster County Legislature - New Ulster County Flag & Seal Adopted - Resolution No. 66

The County Clerk's Committee presented their proposal to the Legislature March 14, 1974 and by Resolution No. 66, their flag design was adopted. The flag design is credited to John Pike, internationally known Woodstock artist, and consisted of "three bars of equal size, the top bar of Ulster Orange, the middle bar of White, and the bottom bar of Delft Blue with the seal of the county representing the mountains, a sheaf of grain, a pre-revolutionary farmer and a Dutch stone house".

In that same resolution, the County Clerk was authorized to have the center theme of the flag reproduced as the official seal of the County of Ulster. Both the flag and the official seal were adopted in preparation for the 1976 bicentennial celebration.

Here is the transcription of the text of the resolution adopting the flag and seal:

"RESOLUTION NO. 66-MARCH 14, 1974

ADOPTING DESIGN FOR OFFICIAL SEAL AND THE OFFICIAL FLAG OF THE COUNTY OF ULSTER.

The County Clerk's Committee (Chairman Elmendorf and Legislators Kuhlmann, Lasher, Kirk, Roach, Carroll, Dwyer, and Resnick offers the following:

WHEREAS, by Resolution No. 62 of March 13, 1969, the County Clerk's Committee of this body was designated to study a County flag design for presentation to this body for approval, and

WHEREAS, the County Clerk's Committee has researched the history of the old County seal of Ulster County and the colors of Ulster County, and

WHEREAS, John Pike, internationally known artist of the Town of Woodstock, one of the towns of Ulster County has, in conjunction with the County Clerk's Committee of this body and the County Historian, designed a flag representative of the history of Ulster County consisting of three bars of equal size, the top bar of Ulster Orange, the middle bar of White, and the bottom bar of Delft Blue with the seal of the County representing the mountains, a sheaf of grain, a pre-revolutionary farmer and a dutch stone house with the date 1683 imposed thereon denoting the year of the establishment of Ulster County as one of the original twelve counties of the State of New York, the seal being the central theme of the flag, and

WHEREAS, the County Clerk's Committee of this body is desirous of adopting the above described design as the official seal and the official flag of Ulster County in preparation for the 1976 bicentennial celebration.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT AND IT HEREBY IS RESOLVED, that the above described design as presented herewith by the County Clerk's Committee of the Ulster County Legislature is hereby adopted and designated as the official seal and the official flag of Ulster County, New York, and be it further,

RESOLVED, that the Clerk of the County of Ulster is hereby authorized to have said design reproduced as a flag and to have the center theme of said flag reproduced as the official seal of the County of Ulster, and moves its adoption.

Adopted by the following vote:
Ayes: 33; Noes: 0."

The picture I took in front of the county archives confirms the accuracy of Jens Pattke's July 24th, 2005 image.

Paul Bassinson, 14 July 2014