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Liberty Corner's name came from the liberty
pole erected on the town square during the Revolutionary war. A Liberty pole is a tall flagstaff planted in
the ground, often surmounted by an ensign or a liberty cap (see Phrygian cap).
A liberty pole was often erected in town squares during the American revolution (such as; Newport,
RI, Concord MA, Savannah, GA, New York City, NY and Annin's Corner, NJ). When an ensign was raised (usually red), it would
be a calling for the Sons of Liberty or townspeople to meet and vent or express their views regarding the British rule. The
pole was known to be a symbol of dissent against Great Britain. The symbol is also apparent in many seals and coat of arms
as a sign of liberty, freedom, and independence. Often a bag of feathers and a cask of tar was hung from the top of the
pole as a warning to all 'Loyalists' that they would be tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail. It
was the raising of such a pole on the village green in Annin's Corner, inspired its change "Liberty
Corner."
The Arbres de la liberté ("Liberty Trees") were a symbol of the French Revolution,
the first being planted in 1790 by a pastor of a Vienne village, inspired by the 1765 Liberty Tree of Boston.
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A Colonial Williamsburg reenactment. Greg James, left, Cash Arehart, and
Art Johnson prepare a liberty pole—with its bag of feathers and bucket of tar—for reluctant loyalists.
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