FREEPORT – Debunking a myth and correcting a long overdue historical inaccuracy, the Freeport Town Council officially removed the town motto, the “Birthplace of Maine”, from their town seal in a unanimous vote Tuesday night during a regular council meeting.

The accuracy of the motto came under scrutiny in February after longtime Freeport eatery Jameson Tavern closed, drawing attention to a Daughters of the American Revolution plaque commemorating the restaurant as the supposed location where “commissioners met in 1820 and signed the papers which separated Maine from Massachusetts and established it as an independent state.” The claim, as it turns out, is nothing more than legend, according to the Freeport Historical Society’s executive director, Catherine White.

“I want to thank the council for taking up the matter and putting the myth of Freeport being the birthplace of Maine behind us,” said White during the meeting. “I’m looking forward to all that Freeport is and will be.”

White credited the amateur sleuthing of 22 Freeport High School students who, under the direction of American Studies teacher Geoff Dyhberg, embarked on a project to discover the true origins of the motto and brainstorm ideas on a possible replacement.

“This is a culmination of this project that we worked on,” Dyhberg told the council. “This kind of just landed in our laps last February when we heard about Jameson.”

Before the council acted on the motion, two of Dyhbergs students, Shelby Sawyer and Dalton Chapman each presented their own ideas for a new Freeport motto, with Sawyer focusing on the seasonal appeal of the town and Chapman taking a more absurdist approach with his motto of “Freeport: Less Flammable Than We Used To Be,” a reference to the numerous fires the town had experienced in the past.

After a brief discussion, the seven-member council voted unanimously to instruct Town Manager Peter Joseph to phase out the motto and begin the process of replacing the slogan on the town letterhead and website. Municipal vehicles, including police cruisers, will retain the motto until being replaced to avoid incurring a large, upfront cost, said Council Chairman James Hendricks.

The council was approached by the Freeport Historical Society about the myth of the motto, and in turn asked the Daughters of the American Revolution for information concerning the plaque.

“They came back to us and said, yes, we are setting the record straight. Back then the process of getting a plaque like that was much looser than today,” said Hendricks.

The plaque will stay unless the building owner wants to take it down, said Hendricks.

The Freeport Special Events Committee will oversee the process of finding a new motto and take suggestions from any Freeport resident as well as consider the ideas from Dyhbergs students.

“The motto that we unofficially have is based on dubious fact,” said District 2 Councilor Sarah Tracey. “However I agree that we shouldn’t incur significant expense to get rid of it.”

Ironically, the “Birthplace of Maine” motto was never officially adopted, according to Joseph, who could find no evidence of the town endorsing or accepting the slogan at any point in its history.