North Canaan to raise liberty pole for first time in 252 years

NORTH CANAAN – For the first time in 252 years, a liberty pole bearing a flag emblazoned with the words “Liberty and Property” will rise over Canaan as part of a community celebration June 13. The event, which will take place in Bunny McGuire Park at 11 a.m., will also include fun, games and food for families and residents.

The pole will be erected on the corner lot at the intersection of Routes 7 and 44, across from St. Martin of Tours Church, where it will remain in place for the rest of the year.

Town historian Kathryn Boughton said the event commemorates the patriotic fervor that swept through Canaan in the years leading up to the American Revolution.

Canaan was an early hotbed of dissent, she said, writing its Canaan Resolves before any of the other towns in the Northwest Corner and actively participating in shutting down the King’s courts in Great Barrington in August 1774 in response to the burdensome Coercive Acts.

Many Canaan men later fought in the Revolutionary War, taking part in some of its most historic battles.

Liberty poles were a common symbol of resistance to British rule and were often predominantly placed in public spaces to intimidate those with opposing views.

Historian Tim Abbott said Canaan’s original liberty pole was raised June 21, 1774. The Connecticut Courant described it as “a Standard for Liberty, 78 Feet high,” and topped by a scarlet flag 15-feet long bearing the words, “Liberty” and “Property” in large Capitals.

The event was peaceful, and the participants later gathered at the Lawrence Tavern, which still stands, for celebration. It is reported a more violent demonstration took place at the same site just a few weeks later.

The words were reportedly chosen to highlight the value of property ownership, which was often considered as a way to secure liberty.

Following this Saturday’s flag raising ceremony, residents are invited to Bunny McGuire Park for a free community picnic titled, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Appleness,” featuring American items like hot dogs and apple pie, provided by Freund’s Farm Market and Bakery.

Kathy Keane, chairman of the town’s USA 250th Committee, said there will be colonial re-enactors, musket demonstrations, cartridge rolling, quill and ink drawing and games for children.

“It should be a lot of fun,” said Keane. “We’re keeping in the spirit of that time.”

The event is being sponsored by the 250th Anniversary Committee, the Canaan History Center, the Canaan Exchange Club and the town of Canaan. Freund’s Farm Market and Bakery will provide hot dogs and apple pie.

Cemetery Tours

The Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society and the North Canaan History Center will host guided tours of Revolutionary War veterans’ graves Sunday, June 14.

In Falls Village, guides in period dress will lead tours at Grassy Hill Cemetery, 68 Point of Rocks Road, sharing the stories of veterans buried there. Self-guided tours will also be available at Haskins Cemetery on Undermountain Road and the Root-Gillette Cemetery on Steap Road.

In Canaan, tours will be offered at Mountain View Cemetery on Sand Road, Forbes Cemetery on Lower Road and Hillside Cemetery on Route 44 in East Canaan.

The free event is part of America’s 250th anniversary commemoration and is funded through a grant from the Canaan Foundation.

For more information, call the Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society at 860-824-8226 or the Canaan History Center at 860-453-4435.