The City of Danville seal was designed by GWHS art student Gloria Nix, and adopted by the Danville City Council on Sept. 1, 1957, following a seal design contest offered by the Council. At the center of the seal is the sun, decided upon by Nix after she read that Danville was known for its sunsets. At the top of the seal is a depiction of a textile mill (Dan River’s “White Mill”), symbolizing industry. It looks out onto a field of cotton that represents the city’s agricultural heritage. On the right portion of the seal are illustrations of a book and the lamp of knowledge, symbolic of the importance of education. Directly below the sun is a tobacco field bordered by a stand of pines and a curing barn, with a tobacco leaf in the foreground, representing the importance of this crop to the area. In the left portion, a plane, a train, and a bus, represent the city’s place as the Southside’s transportation center. On the lower portion of the seal are the words “Founded 1793” and “Chartered 1830.” The latter date was the cause of some controversy after the seal had been approved. In 1830, the General Assembly granted Danville a town charter. However, the city didn’t elect a mayor and council until 1833. Thus, the legislature issued a new charter in that year, reflecting the city’s birth as a political entity. Although 1833 is the accepted date of Danville’s chartering, the date on the seal remains 1830.