State Seal of West Virginia

West Virginia's official state seal includes the date when it entered the Union, June 20, 1863, which is inscribed on the boulder at the center of the design. The seal, created in 1863 by artist Joseph H. Diss Debar, portrays a farmer and a miner wielding the tools of their trade on either side of the boulder. Two rifles lying in the foreground are covered with the Liberty Cap, symbolizing the state's willingness to defend its freedom. The state's motto is written beneath the scene: "Montani Semper Liberi" ("Mountaineers Always Free").