Georgetown, Del., Dec., 18, 2007: A piece of Sussex County’s past has come home, just in time for the county’s 325th anniversary.

Sussex County Council, at its Tuesday, Dec. 18, meeting, was presented with the first-ever County flag, designed in 1974 by Mr. William Scott of Selbyville. Mr. Scott designed the flag that year when organizers of a local bicentennial committee realized Sussex had no official flag. The County Council adopted his design that same year.

County Administrator David B. Baker on Tuesday told the County Council that Mr. Scott actually donated the flag this past spring, when County staff contacted him for a research project on the flag’s origins. Since then, the flag has been professionally sealed and framed. It will be displayed in the Administrative Offices Building in Georgetown.

The framed flag was unveiled Tuesday, with Mr. Scott attending the Council’s weekly meeting.

“Mr. Scott has generously given us this piece of our history, and we thank him for his contribution to Sussex County, then and now,” Mr. Baker said. “We will proudly display it for all Sussex Countians to see in the years to come.”

The banner, which features a sheaf of wheat set to a backdrop of red, white and blue bars, served as the prototype for the design that flies outside government buildings and schools today. Mr. Scott based his creation on two simple elements: the colors and bars were inspired by the flag of The Netherlands, to honor Sussex County’s Dutch heritage, while the sheaf of wheat, to recognize the County’s English roots, came from William Penn’s 1683 seal for Sussex County.

Mr. Scott said it is an honor to be recognized for his efforts. As for his donation, Mr. Scott said giving it to the County was the logical choice. “I just wanted to make sure it was kept in a place where it was safe and where if someone wanted to know about the original flag, they could see it for themselves,” Mr. Scott said.

To read more about the history of the Sussex County flag, go online to sussexcountyde.gov/history-sussex-county-flag.