About our New Watermark and Logo

Over the years, the St. John Historical Society has become aware of an increasing demand placed on the wealth of images that the society has accumulated and posted on its website. Some of this material is in the public domain, some is on permanent loan to the society with unlimited or limited use permission, while still others are owned outright by the society. Regardless, the use of all material appearing on our website is prohibited without the express written consent of the society. It is the policy of the SJHS not to permit the use of this material for any purposes other than private non-commercial study, scholarship, or research purposes.

While in the process of rebuilding our website, the SJHS board deemed it appropriate to take the opportunity to further emphasize our proprietary rights by placing a semi-transparent watermark on all materials appearing in our photo galleries. The board agreed that the primary focal point of this new watermark should be the St. John market basket with a fruiting branch of the seagrape, which was adopted in 2010 as our logo. As board member Eleanor Gibney so eloquently said at the time, this combination is the essence of a perfect logo for the society, because “the basket is unique to St. John and seems to hold the spirit of St. John in its grace and practicality, and the fruiting branch of the seagrape (is) a plant that has sheltered St. John’s shorelines for millennia.”

 
Along with the society’s name, we have added a rope to the perimeter of the image to recognize the island’s dependence on, and the importance of, its maritime and boat-building past. We have also added two conch shells intended to acknowledge their importance as an early means of communications on St. John — symbolically appropriate, given that communications is such an important part of the society’s mission.