New Bedford Massachusetts City Seal Round Sticker

The City Seal of New Bedford is inscribed in Latin, typical for a Massachusetts seal of the mid-nineteenth century. The upper inscription: "Nova Bedfordia Condita A.D. 1787" translates to "New Bedford, founded in the Year of Our Lord 1787." The City's Motto is "Lucem Diffundo." This translates precisely as " I Diffuse Light." In the foreground is the Fairhaven shore with the Acushnet River. In the harbour is depicted a steamship, representing the future and a whale ship representing the past, with Palmer's Island and its Lighthouse in the centre, a spiritual and physical beacon to all who arrived in this world port built by light.