NEWBURYPORT — In what Newburyport Maritime Society members hope will be a symbol of a new era ahead, the American flag is flying over the Custom House Maritime Museum for the first time in more than a decade.
A new flag was run up the flagpole on Tuesday and will now be a permanent part of the Newburyport skyline, according to Maritime Society board member Bill Partridge.
Partridge said that at some point in the past, the halyard lines that hoisted and lowered the flag were removed from the pole. They had to be re-strung.
Partridge said the Maritime Society worked to get the correct lighting for the flag so it can be flown 24 hours.
The illuminated Stars and Stripes will make a "pretty prominent statement" in downtown Newburyport, he said.
In another era of Newburyport history, the flag served as a sort of weathervane for those heading out of port.
Bringing it back to the top of the 173-year-old building was no small effort.
While the brisk winds of the Atlantic coast will keep the flag waving vigorously, they will also take a toll.
For that reason, the pole itself had to be reinforced. Partridge said the society chose a light but durable polyester flag that will typically need to be replaced every few months because of wear and tear.
According to Maritime Society Board Chairman and CEO Mark Guay, within eight to 10 weeks, the flag could be "shredded" from the force of the wind.
Guay said the flag is part of the Maritime Society's campaign to revitalize the museum by making it look as it did when it was a working custom house, which was between 1835 and 1911.
"In addition to having exhibits inside, the building itself is an exhibit," he said.
Guay said the Maritime Society is hoping to hold a symposium in May on the work of the architect of the Custom House, Robert Mills.
To that end, he said, the society is trying to bring in the leading authority on Mills' work, professor John Bryan of the University of South Carolina.
Bryan has written what Guay called the "definitive work" on Mills, called "America's First Architect: Robert Mills."
Guay said Mills designed the Custom House with a facade reminiscent of ancient Greece because Athens was the birthplace of democracy.
Guay said the Maritime Society also plans events next summer to celebrate Newburyport's long relationship with the Coast Guard. The first cutter in the U.S. Revenue Service, which evolved into the Coast Guard, was launched in Newburyport in 1790.
Staff writer Will Courtney contributed to this report.
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