(Liberty Pole Eagle), (sculpture).

(Liberty Pole Eagle), (sculpture).

Pitts, George, sculptor.

McHenry, Steve, assistant.

Beecher, Laban S., active 1822-1839, sculptor. (copy after)

Gleason, Benjamin A., sculptor.

Henderson, Joseph, sculptor.

(Liberty Pole Eagle), (sculpture).

1978. Installed July 12, 1978.

Digital Reference:

Eagle: white pine, carved and gilded; Flagpole: Oregon pine.

Eagle: approx. H. 42 in. x W. 26 in.; Flagpole: approx. 110 ft. x 1 ft. 10 in. x 1 ft. 7 in. (50 lbs.).

(On wooden shield on flagpole:) ERECTED JULY 1824/IN COMMEMORATION OF/JULY 4 1776 THAT DECLARED/OUR EMANCIPATION FROM/TYRANNY AND GAVE US/THE PRIVILEGES OF/FREEMEN (On small bronze plaque on flagpole:) The eagle on this pole/was carved by George Pitts/of New Castle, N.H./and presented to/the City of/Portsmouth on/July 20, 1978/The original eagle/is on display at the/Portsmouth Public Library (On large plaque on flagpole:) "LIBERTY, PROPERTY/AND NO STAMP"/NEAR THIS SPOT/THEN "SWING BRIDGE"/BUT THENCEFORWARD CALLED/"LIBERTY BRIDGE"/ON JANUARY 9, 1766/NINE YEARS/BEFORE THE REVOLUTION/THE FIRST/"NO STAMP FLAG"/RAISED IN/THE AMERICAN COLONIES/"SWING BRIDGE" BUILT 1731/WATERWAY FILLED 1899/THE LIBERTY POLE ASSOCIATION/1913 (On small metal plate on flagpole:) LIBERTY/FLAG POLE/RENEWED/July 4, 1899

A carving of an eagle perched on a small globe is attached to a liberty cap at the top of a tall flagpole known as a Liberty Pole. The eagle stands with its wings spread and its head turned to its proper right. The beehive-shaped liberty cap just below the eagle sculpture has a star on the front and a circle of balls around its base. Originally there were thirteen balls, but now only six remain. The eagle is gilded and the liberty cap is painted blue. Near the base of the Liberty Pole there is an octagonal section with four metal bands. On the front street side of the pole there are four inscription plaques. The upper plaque is a large wooden shield with stars and stripes. Beneath it is a small metal plate, a large metal plaque, and a small bronze plaque.

History -- United States -- Stamp Act Crisis

History -- United States -- New Hampshire

Animal -- Bird -- Eagle

Allegory -- Civic -- Liberty

Allegory -- Civic -- Rebellion

Outdoor Sculpture -- New Hampshire -- Portsmouth

Administered by City of Portsmouth, Public Works, 700 Islington Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801

Located Prescott Park, On sidewalk of Marcy Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

The Liberty Pole itself has a long history dating back to 1824 when the original Liberty Pole was installed on July 4th to commemorate the 1766 protests over the Stamp Act. The 1824 Liberty Pole marked the spot on Swing Bridge, renamed Liberty Bridge, where the Sons of Liberty of Portsmouth displayed the first No Stamp Flag raised in the American Colonies on Jan. 9, 1766. The 1824 Liberty Pole was topped with a 43 inch wooden eagle and a liberty cap finial said to have been carved by Laban S. Beecher. The shield on the front of the Liberty Pole was either carved in 1824 or later, in 1857 by ornamental carvers, Benjamin A. Gleason and Joseph Henderson. In 1899, the original pole was replaced with a shorter one carved of Oregon pine, but the original eagle and liberty cap from 1824 were reinstalled on the new pole.

The current eagle at the top of the Liberty Pole is a replacement of the 1824 original carved eagle attributed to Laban S. Beecher. The new eagle was donated by the artist, George Pitts, who carved it from a photograph of the original. Steve McHenry coated the eagle with gold leaf over seven coats of paint and gold sizing at a cost of $800. The original eagle was refurbished and placed on display at the Portsmouth Public Library.

IAS files contain articles from The Portsmouth Herald, July 11, 1978, pg. 1 and July 12, 1978, pg. 1, 3 which describe the replacement eagle carved by George Pitts. IAS files also contain excerpts describing the unrest over the Stamp Act and the installation of the 1824 Liberty Pole from: The Magazine of History 9 (May 1909): pg. 294-300; Ray Brighton's "They Came to Fish," Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Portsmouth 350, Inc., 1973, vol. 1, pg. 46-48, and vol. 2, pg. 76; James L. Garvin's "Historic Portsmouth," Somersworth: New Hampshire Pub. Co., 1974, pg. 18; and C. S. Gurney's "Portsmouth, Historic and Picturesque," Portsmouth, New Hampshire: C. S. Gurney, 1902, pg. 106. The excerpt from James L. Garvin's "Historic Portsmouth," contains a historic photograph showing the 1824 Liberty Pole with the original eagle.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, New Hampshire survey, 1993.

The Portsmouth Herald, July 12, 1978, pg. 1.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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