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Carmel, Indiana (U.S.)

Hamilton County

Description of the flag
Seal
Old seal
Police Department flag
Fire Department flag

See also:

Description of the flag

City of Carmel, Hamilton County, Indiana. Established in 1837 as a town of Bethlehem. The area was previously a domain of Delaware (Miami) Indians. It became a home of the Quaker settlers and was incorporated in 1874 as the town of Carmel (name changed because there already was a Bethlehem, Indiana). In November of 1974, a referendum took place as to whether Carmel should become a Fourth Class City. The residents voted in the affirmative. Population: about 26,000
Chris Kretowicz, 20 September 2002

The flag is blue with a white rising diagonal bearing the name CARMEL. In the upper hoist is a large yellow star above the date 1837. In the lower fly is the city seal(?) with the date 1976 above it.

The missing symbol in the lower fly is the old seal. The flag was designed in 1976 by former clerk-treasurer Peggy Lou Smith. The yellow star on the top-left represents Bethlehem because that was Carmel's previous name. It was changed to Carmel because there was already another post office called Bethlehem so the town went with another Biblical place name: the ancient Israeli city of Carmel. The 1837 on the top-left is when Carmel, then Bethlehem, was first founded albeit it wasn't incorporated until 1874.

Source: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star/152741244/

Ethan Dubrow, 25 November 2024

The Seal

image located by Paul Bassinson, 20 July 2019

Source: http://allthingscarmel.com/
Paul Bassinson, 20 July 2019

Old Seal

image located by Ethan Dubrow, 25 November 2024
Source: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news-carmel-in-old-sea

The old seal is the one seen on the flag. With the help of Indy, we've found the old seal plus many details pertaining thereto. The seal contains an orange gas flame and a blue drilling derrick. Apparently the derrick was often mistaken for a tree by others.

Paragraph from The Indianapolis News August 10th 1977 page 40:
City officials are proud of their seal, but no one knows who made it or why it came to be. According to Dorothy F. Smith, executive for the Carmel Chamber of Commerce, the seal's origin was somehow "lost in antiquity" along with many of the earliest town records. Despite its mysterious history, the aged seal is widely used, appearing on city stationery, the flag, and most official documents. Mrs. Smith says the design probably represents a natural gas derrick and gas flame. "We assume that when the seal was adopted, natural gas was regarded as a miracle," she explains.

"The seal was probably adopted Mrs. Smith believes as a sign of progress." Mrs. Smith believes the seal was designed in the late 1880s after discovery of the first Carmel gas well in 1888. "People probably figured Carmel was headed for a real gas boom," she says. The black design at the left of the seal represents a gas flame and the Latin words mean "fidelity and justice." Because of recent confusion over the design, an artist doctored up the lines to make the flame easier to discern.

Ethan Dubrow, 25 November 2024

Police Department flag

image by Ethan Dubrow, 16 July 2024

The flag for the Carmel Police Department consists of a silver version of the police badge in the center, the words "CITY OF CARMEL" on top, and the words "POLICE DEPARTMENT" on the bottom. The text is in Times New Roman font, colored white. The background is the Thin Blue Line flag.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php
Ethan Dubrow, 16 July 2024

Fire Department flag

image by Ethan Dubrow, 16 July 2024

The flag is divided into three horizontal bars of red-black-red. A thick yellow border surrounds the edges of the flag, and each bar is separated by a yellow outline. There are two yellow scrolls. The top one reads "CARMEL FIRE DEPARTMENT", the bottom one reads "ESTABLISHED 1900". There is a red, shoulder patch-like emblem in the very center with a yellow outline.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php
Ethan Dubrow, 16 July 2024