Upper Maralboro, MD

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Town of Upper Marlboro
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 Town of Upper Marlboro Unveils A Colorful Modern Logo

That Reflects Its Equestrian Roots and Proximity to Chesapeake Bay Watershed

 UPPER MARLBORO, MD (Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023) – One of Maryland’s most historic towns today unveiled a contemporary new logo design that reflects the municipality’s equestrian roots and natural resources. Town of Upper Marlboro Mayor Sarah Franklin said the new logo was approved by the board of commissioners following a lengthy public involvement process and will officially be implemented beginning today.

The new logo is far more than merely symbolic and visually attractive, Mayor Franklin noted.

“A logo represents a community,” Mayor Franklin said. “It is aspirational and communicates to others how the community sees itself. We believe the logo the Town of Upper Marlboro has been using for more than 50 years is out-of-step, outdated, and no longer reflects our town’s values, residents, and our direction for the future.

“Our new logo design is one in which we can all take pride,” she added, “it shows us a direction to use our shared history and bring it into a new future that we can all participate in.”

The Town’s previous logo, which had been in place since 1971, depicts a dried tobacco leaf covered by a crest that was inspired by the coat of arms for the house of the Duke of Marlborough, an English duke with a long military career.

Franklin said the use of a tobacco leaf in the old logo sent the wrong message for a variety of health, economic, and social reasons.

“Tobacco admittedly has a complicated history in Upper Marlboro and Prince George’s County,” Franklin pointed out. “It was first used by native peoples and was considered a sacred plant. When Europeans colonized the Americas, they domesticated the tobacco plant, and it was the main crop grown primarily on plantations. 

“Special licenses were granted that allowed the tobacco plant to be shipped from specific locations, thus creating port towns,” she added. “These port towns shipped tobacco and human beings, and were critical to the economic development of areas while also being centers for the trade in enslaved human beings. This is not an appropriate foundation on which to build our Town's future and it does not reflect our present.

“We must never forget the evils in our past, or that these evils often were extremely profitable for a small group of families,” she added.

The new logo depicts several positive aspects of Upper Marlboro life today, including an egret standing a body of water symbolizing Schoolhouse Pond, the Prince George’s County Courthouse on Main Street, the Crain Highway Monument, and a majestic horse that reflects the town’s equestrian roots.

“In 2023, it is vitally important for us to move forward with a logo that truly represents our community,” Franklin said. “The community chose this logo, they suggested changes to it, and then chose it again after the changes were made.

“We know this new logo represents our community in a way that the tobacco leaf logo does not,” she emphasized. “We can change our logo and move forward, without forgetting or erasing our town’s past.”

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