Mystic's Liberty Pole

Mystic marked Flag Day on Tuesday, June 14 by holding the raising of the at the Mystic Liberty Pole in downtown. President Woodrow Wilson officially designated Flag Day as June 14 in 1916 in honor of when the U.S. adopted the Stars and Strips flag design on June 14, 1777. The Mystic Liberty Pole has flown a flag over downtown Mystic since May of 1862. 

This vintage photograph provided by the features the Liberty Pole in about 1924. In the photograph a sign reading Hotel Mystic can be seen. According to the historical society the “Hoxie House became the Hotel Mystic in 1924.  now in the store front on this corner.”

The Liberty Pole was created as a response to the American Civil War. According to the Mystic Liberty Flagpole website at a “…public meeting in April of 1862 a fund was established to erect a "suitable" flagpole in town. The pole's large lower mast was quickly donated by shipbuilder Charles Mallory. This mast is believed to have been part of the rigging left over after the sale of one of the ships in Mallory's recently liquidated whaling fleet. The Liberty Pole's first location was on the south side of West Main Street where the large brick "Gilbert Building" (Main Block) is now located. At that time this spot of ground was largely vacant land. Then as now the pole was nearly 125 feet in height and it was soon acknowledged to be one of the tallest flag poles in New England.”

More information about the Liberty Pole is available on the Mystic Liberty Flagpole website: mysticlibertypole.com.