Last modified: 2024-02-03 by rick wyatt
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image by Masao Okazaki, 18 July 2022
based on photo located by
Daniel Renteria, 18 July 2022
See also:
Here is an article mentioning the flag, and its designer, Janice Watts:
https://www.timeswv.com/news/local_news/fairmont-woman-recalls-designing-city-s-flag/article_ed235cc2-aac8-549a-a336-9e0f27e752db.html
You can also see the flag of Fairmont flying at
https://www.google.com/maps/
I have also added a closer-up image of the
flag (which has a different design from the one shown in the flagpole, not too
sure why) from
https://www.reddit.com/r/vexillology/comments/t2u1gs/fairmont_west_virginia_flag/
Daniel Renteria, 18 July 2022
To summarize the information in the Times West Virginian, the flag of
Fairmont was adopted on June 5, 1984 after city manager Ed Daley announced a
city flag contest. The top three designs were picked by a judging panel and the
winner was chosen by the city council. The top three designs all received a $50
savings bond.
The yellow circle in the flag represents friendship in "the
Friendly City", Fairmont's nickname. Inside of it three rivers are depicted
coming together, the Tygart Valley and West Fork rivers forming the Monongahela
River. A miner's pick and shovel are shown representing ties to the coal
industry.
Some notable stories about this flag include: being presented
to a gold-medal winner at the 1984 Olympics native to Fairmont, a Russian
delegation to the college, and finally also being used in a time capsule.
Daniel Renterķa, 2 December 2023
image located by Paul Bassinson, 16 February 2020
Source:
https://www.fairmontwv.gov/
Paul Bassinson, 16 February 2020
image by Masao Okazaki, 18 July 2022
based on photo located by
Daniel Renteria, 18 July 2022
image located by Daniel Renterķa, 2 December 2023
At one point in 1918, The West Virginian announced a $10 prize for the best
design of a Fairmont municipal flag. This contest was to close on September 1.
The winning design was announced on the night of December 16, a sketch of this
being approved by the Chamber of Commerce. A good amount of entries were also
received for this contest.
This winning design had a blue background and
a gold fringe. In gold leaf letters with black outline are the words "City of
Fairmont, W. Va." and "Incorporated 1843." Painted in natural colors is a
depiction of a coal mine and an oil derrick, set in a West Virginia landscape.
It also seems, although the wording is a bit tricky, that the ring's outlines
are in gold as well. The designer of this flag was H.J. Kistner, a painter who
had just moved from Fairmont to California. This flag was intended to be used
more ceremonially, along with the American and state flags.
However, it
seems the city council rejected the flag due to its cost, and there was some
annoyance reflected in the newspaper's issues until a few years after the fact.
I am certain this flag had very little or no use at all.
Drawing of the
flag from the December 17, 1918 issue of The West Virginian.
Daniel
Renterķa, 2 December 2023