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Liberty Pole Day in Duxbury
May 3 @ 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Step back in time to experience the life of a soldier in the American Revolution on Liberty Pole Day in Duxbury. The event features a military encampment and living history day on Saturday, May 3 between noon and 4 p.m. at the Alden House Historic Site. The reenactment is part of Out to See Duxbury, a community-wide celebration of Duxbury’s rich cultural and educational heritage.
Join reenactors from Colonel Bailey’s 2nd Massachusetts Regiment for military drills, music and living history demonstrations. Explore blacksmithing, colonial foodways, linen and wool spinning demonstrations, activities for kids, tours of Alden House and much more.
There will also be a re-enactment of Duxbury’s 1775 “Council of War,” showcasing three tumultuous days in April of 1775, following the Battles of Lexington and Concord 250 years ago, as Duxbury leaders determined their military response to the opening days of the war.
A grant from the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati helps allow this event to take place. The Duxbury Community Collaborative sponsors Out to See Duxbury.
The Liberty Pole
Beginning in 1766, the liberty pole symbolized dissent from Great Britain.
The first liberty pole in America was actually a tree. On Aug. 14, 1765, the Sons of Liberty hanged stamp collector Andrew Oliver in effigy from the boughs of a large elm in Boston. Forever after it’s been known as the Liberty Tree.
When someone raised a red flag – a gift of John Hancock — at the top of the tree, it meant the Sons of Liberty should meet. British soldiers later hacked it down when they occupied Boston.
As tall as 170 feet high, the liberty pole sprang up in towns throughout New England as the British Parliament imposed unpopular taxes and restrictions on the American colonies. Sometimes it stood next to a liberty tree. Sometimes it replaced the tree.
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Learn more Revolutionary history in this complete guide to Revolutionary War Sites in New England. Brought to you by the New England Historical Society. Click here to order your copy in paperback, here to order an ebook.