On July 4^th, 1951 Silvermine President John Vassos gifted a flagpole to the Silvermine Guild of Artists. At the dedication, the Silvermine Community gathered to honor the first hoisting of the American flag. The flagpole had a plaque that read:

“It is under free democratic principles that creative effort can best express itself. As a symbol of these ideals, this flag mast is presented to the Silvermine Guild of Artists – John Vassos.”

Since that time, years of harsh New England weather had left the flagpole rusted and battered and in great need of repairs. It had been a few years since we were able to use it.

In July, Silvermine held a 3-week “Help Us Raise the Flag” campaign to bring in funding for the necessary repairs.

We needed to replace the concrete at the base, strip the paint down, repaint the pole, install new rigging, purchase new flags (American and State flags) and replace the finial at the top.

The reponse to donate was just wonderful and we met our fundraising goal. Thank you to all that helped make this a reality. We are very grateful for your generosity.

And we were able to ‘Raise the Flag’ in time to welcome our Fall session students back to campus.