New flagpole restores Old Glory to Orient Civil War monument

Old Glory is flying high over Orient’s Civil War monument again after a broken flagpole was replaced just before the Fourth of July.

Anonymous donors chipped in roughly $8,000 to pay for the installation of a new aluminum pole at the head of Village Lane, replacing a deteriorated wooden pole that snapped during a windstorm about five years ago.

The memorial, a stone obelisk, was dedicated in 1870.

“The community wanted a flagpole there because there had been one there for decades,” Poquatuck Hall President Linton Duell said. “It was in keeping with the significance of the Civil War monument, recognizing the sacrifices by our residents.”

The previous pole had rotted about two-thirds of the way up, causing its upper section to break off, according to Mr. Duell. The remaining portion was left standing but appeared too short and out of proportion with the monument.

Coastal Planting installed the new pole, which is topped with a brass ball and can also accommodate an eagle ornament.

“When we do our Memorial Day parade and we have our fire department, East Marion, it’s nice to have a nice-looking American flag at the top of it,” Mr. Duell said.