It has been years since visitors to Monument Hill in Leeds have been greeted by an American flag when they reached the summit, but this changed in October with the culmination of a Leeds Historical Society project, spearheaded by Charlie Barker, to replace the flagpole.

In 1895, Leeds natives Gen. Oliver Otis Howard and his brother Charles erected a granite obelisk as a monument to Peace. Their brother, Rowland, a peace activist, had died in 1891, and the brothers wished to commemorate not only his service but that of all Leeds men who had served their country. Whether there was a flagpole at the time of the monument’s erection is unclear, but before his death, Rowland had proposed the erection of a “suitable flag staff .” A newspaper article from 1890 goes on to say “… it was suggested that a small park be set apart on the summit of the great Otis Hill near by, on which there should be a monument of native granite rocks with a tablet inserted, inscribed with the names of Leeds soldiers and the legend ‘In memory of the peace 1865.'”

In 1970, in honor of Maine’s Sesquicentennial celebration, the Maine National Guard worked to improve the trail to the Howard Peace Monument and erected a new flagpole nearby. With the passage of time, that flagpole also disappeared, and only the Monument graced the hill.

In recent years, a group of Leeds citizens discussed replacing the flagpole, and two years ago, the Historical Society undertook the task. Major contributions from the Masonic Lodge Asylum #133 and the students from Leeds Central School, along with proceeds from the sale of Leeds commemorative pottery, facilitated the completion of the project. Walter Howard, a descendant of Gen. Howard, has donated a flag to be flown on the new flagpole.

A formal dedication of the new flagpole will be held in the spring of 2010.