By Steve Bigham

Traffic on Main Street was slowed Monday evening as police, fire and other community members took part in what has become an annual rite of spring – the raising of Newtown’s summer flag.

Headed by Lt David Lydem of the Newtown Police Department, the event took all of 10 minutes and drew the attention of all those who passed by.

Newtown flies a small (12-by-18 feet) flag designed to survive the cold and wind of the winter. Between Memorial Day and October, however, the town puts up the much larger 20-by-30 foot nylon flag. The summertime flag put up this week is nearly three times as large as the tattered and torn flag, which made it through this past winter on its own. Often, according to Lt Lydem, he has to put up a second, replacement flag midway through harsher winters.

The Newtown Board of Realtors paid for this year’s summer flag in memory of Joseph Chase.

The pole, situated at the intersection of Main Street, Church Hill Road and West Street, has been designated an historic landmark and is considered the visual centerpiece of the Main Street Historic District.

 The Hook & Ladder Fire Company assisted in Monday’s effort, using its aerial truck to hoist a firefighter to the midway point of the pole. There, he loosened a knot, enabling Lt Lydem to lower the old flag. Next five representatives from Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) Post 308 carried the new flag on to Main Street where it was quickly attached to a rope and hoisted to the top of the 110-foot pole.

Still Standing After All These Years

Newtown’s most enduring symbol has stood tall for more than 160 years. The first known pole raising took place in 1835 when a wood pole was raised to the sky. However, it is believed that a pole was on Main Street even before that date. At one time, the flagpole actually stood directly in front of the Congregational Church. However, the church was moved back about 100 feet during the early 1800s. Leak & Nelson of Bridgeport erected the first metal pole in 1947. The company installed a self-righting pole, which consisted of a ball on the bottom of the pole deep below ground level. This allowed it to stay upright if it was ever hit.

Despite efforts to have it removed, Newtown’s famous landmark has been protected by those who cherish what it has come to symbolize. As many point out, you know you are in Newtown when you spot the Stars and Stripes blowing in the wind above Main Street.

“The flagpole is our institution and it is the main thing that identifies us as a community,” said Newtown resident Mae Schmidle, a longtime supporter of the landmark.

However, along with its beauty and great symbolism come a few drawbacks, mainly safety, which, over the years, have threatened the pole’s existence. Some, including the state’s Department of Transportation (DOT), wanted the 110-foot pole removed for fear someone might slam into the pole again, repeating the incident that took place in 1979. On that December night, a man and woman from Yonkers were killed after they drove directly into the brightly-lit column.

Congestion around the flagpole at rush hour has also annoyed people over the years. It can be almost impossible to cross Main Street as cars awkwardly struggle to get around the pole.

For longtime residents, the pole is simply part of the road. They have learned to live with it. Newcomers, who come upon the pole for the first time, can be surprised and a little startled.

The flagpole will never be removed. Mrs Schmidle made sure of that more than 15 years ago as a member of the state’s General Assembly. Reacting to DOT suggestions that the pole be removed, the then-state representative proposed legislation that would prohibit the removal of the flagpole from the center of Main Street. The bill passed easily in the General Assembly, despite opposition from the DOT. Mrs Schmidle’s countless hours of lobbying had paid off. Remember the “Save the Flagpole” bumper stickers?

In making her proposal, Mrs Schmidle said “some communities are identified for being insurance centers, some for hatting communities, some towns are famous for their shorelines, but there is only one town in Connecticut that is renowned for its flagpole – Newtown. Without it, part of the culture and heritage of Newtown would be destroyed. No one would be able to give traveling instructions.”

A copy of a painting of the flagpole, presented by Mrs Schmidle, now hangs in the governor’s office in Hartford. The original was destroyed in a fire at the artist’s house. As Mrs Schmidle points out, Newtown is the only town in the state that has a flagpole in the middle of the street.