Great Seal of Texas

The lone five-pointed star is the central element of the Texas state seal's obverse, positioned upright with one point at the top. The star gave Texas its permanent nickname, the Lone Star State. The same lone star design appears on the Texas state flag, making it one of the most consistent visual identities of any U.S. state.

The star was already associated with Texan identity during the independence movement of the 1830s. It appeared on early Texas military flags and Republic-era currency before the Congress of the Republic placed it at the center of the official seal in 1839. Unlike most state seal imagery of the period, the lone star did not come from European heraldry or classical mythology; it came directly from the Texan independence movement itself.

An olive branch curves along the left side of the obverse, encircling the lower portion of the lone star. In Western heraldic tradition, olive branches represent peace and the preference for diplomacy over military conflict. The olive branch appears on the reverse of the United States Great Seal for the same reason.

For the Republic of Texas in 1839, the olive branch carried specific weight. The republic had just fought a war of independence and Mexico never formally recognized Texan sovereignty. Placing peace as one of the two flanking symbols was a deliberate statement about the republic's preferred posture toward its neighbors.

A live oak branch curves along the right side of the obverse, mirroring the olive branch. Live oak represents strength and the capacity to defend that peace. The tree is native to the Texas Gulf Coast and Hill Country and keeps its leaves year-round, a quality associated with permanence rather than seasonal vulnerability.

Live oak wood is exceptionally dense and was prized in nineteenth-century shipbuilding for its resistance to decay and cannonball impact. The USS Constitution, known as 'Old Ironsides,' was partly framed with live oak. For a young republic establishing its durability, a tree known for structural strength was a fitting choice.

The reverse of the Texas state seal is a separate ceremonial design, not an eagle seal. At its center is a shield: the Alamo occupies the upper half, while the lower half shows the Gonzales cannon on one side and Vince's Bridge on the other. These scenes summarize the independence struggle in three images.

Around the shield appear the six historic flags associated with Texas: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States, and the United States. A white five-pointed star rises above the shield, with the motto "Remember the Alamo" above and "Texas One and Indivisible" below. The reverse was first adopted in 1961 and standardized in revised form in 1991.