Raising the Flag
In 1850, 216 Searsport men listed their occupations as sailor. This work was what they knew; it was traditional in this and other maritime communities. The men were often gone for years at a time. Young men also left Searsport to go to war, beginning with the Civil War. Less than 50 years after Appomattox young people left again to go to war: this time World War I, the "war to end all wars." The photograph shows a service flag with 41 stars being carried down Main Street on August 16, 1918. The Adjutant General of the State of Maine reported 39 Searsport residents served in the armed forces from 1917 to 1919. We can be sure the local people knew how many of their loved ones were in the war.
Marker is on East Main Street (U.S. 1) east of Goodall Street, on the left when traveling east.
Courtesy hmdb.org
