The Liberty Pole

Samuel A. Drake (1879) and Duane H. Hurd (1890) in their histories of Middlesex County note:

"... the patriotic men of the village had erected a liberty-pole and had flung their ensign to the breeze" and "the minutemen and militia companies took position on the hill in front of the church, around the liberty pole on which the pine tree flag was raised".

Figure 16. Liberty Pole, New York, 1770. Pen and ink drawing of P.E. Du Simitière Papers, Acc. #396f. vol.2. Courtesy of Library Company of Philadelphia.

A Liberty Pole is a single flagstaff erected during Revolutions as an organizing tool.  During the Revolution in the eighteenth century in the United States,  Liberty Poles were put up by the Patriots and taken down by the Loyalists or British soldiers.  This process would repeat.  The most famous was located in New York and taken down countless times over a ten year period.   The ten year period was 1766 (repeal of the Stamp Act) to 1776 (the Occupation).  The Liberty Boys of New York defended this symbol. When someone wanted to call a town meeting, to discuss the occupation or British policy, an ensign, usually a red cap, or flag would be raised on the pole.  It was a gathering place for the people. 

Below is the Honorable Seth Sprague’s (grandson of Nathaniel Chandler of Duxbury) account of Duxbury’s Liberty Pole, local history rocks.

“Previous to the war, there were Liberty poles raised in every town in the State. We had a very high one in Duxbury; it stood near, where The Gershom Bradford house now stands. There was a great gathering of people at the raising of it. It was somewhat of a terror to evil doers. If any one was suspected of being a Tory, he was threatened to be histed up on the Liberty Pole.”

A barrel of tar, and bag of feathers was often kept nearby and sometimes hung from the pole.  This served as a reminder of the fate of John Malcomb, a Boston customs official who was tarred and feathered in 1774. 

Liberty Poles would also serve to hold effigies of tax collectors.  In this way the Patriots intimidated all colonists from holding this position.  In one case there was resistance from the tax collector.  He resigned. His house was burned anyway.  After that there were no more tax collectors to be found among the Colonists.