Welcome to Bidwell Lore! This week, we are sharing a short post about Liberty Poles, a form of rebellion used during the American Revolution. We have installed our own replica Liberty Pole this year and you can read all about it below.
The Liberty Pole
by Rob Hoogs
Beginning in 1766, raising a 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 has been known as the Liberty Tree. British soldiers later hacked it down when they occupied Boston.
As tall as 170 feet high, liberty poles sprang up in towns throughout New England as the British Parliament imposed unpopular taxes and restrictions on the American colonies.
When someone raised a red flag, or put a red “phrygian cap” at the top of the pole or tree, it meant the Sons of Liberty should meet. Other flags were designed and flown on poles throughout the colonies, such as the “Liberty or Death” flag on our pole. Oftentimes, citizens would post broadsides or messages railing against the Crown’s heavy-handed treatment of the colonies.
When you visit the Bidwell House Museum this season, you will see our replica Liberty Pole erected in the gardens in front of the house. Tacked to our “Liberty Pole” is a copy of the 1774 Stockbridge Declaration that was issued by a group of “Sixty Gentlemen, Deputies of the Several Towns in the County of Berkshire…” including a delegate from Tyringham (now Monterey). An image of that declaration can be found below.
