On Saturday, April 12, 2025, Bedford, Massachusetts, launched the two-year Massachusetts 250 celebration, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. The town’s annual Liberty Pole Capping ceremony at Willson Park served as the inaugural event, honoring the courageous patriots who sparked the nation’s fight for independence.
Bedford holds a unique place in American history as the home of the oldest known flag in the United States—the Bedford Flag. Carried into battle on April 19, 1775, the flag features a bold design with the motto “Vince Aut Morire” (“Conquer or Die”) and a depiction of a sword-wielding arm emerging from a cloud. This emblematic banner symbolizes the town’s enduring commitment to liberty.
The Liberty Pole Capping ceremony reenacts a colonial protest tradition. Colonists would raise tall wooden poles and affix red caps to them as a sign of defiance against British rule. In Bedford, the event includes a parade, musket displays, and period music performed by Minuteman companies. The highlight is the raising of a tall wooden pole, which is climbed by a Bedford Minuteman and affixed with a red knitted cap—a symbolic act of resistance against King George III’s tyranny.
James F. Comley, a third-generation Bedford resident and member of the Sons of the Revolution, embodies this legacy. The Sons of the Revolution is a society composed of descendants of individuals who fought for American independence. Comley’s involvement reflects both historical reverence and personal devotion to preserving the memory of those who secured American liberty.
Clifford Washer, Comley’s son-in-law, also carries on this patriotic tradition. For over 20 years, Washer was an active member of the Bedford Minutemen, a group dedicated to reenacting and preserving Revolutionary War history. For nearly a decade, he portrayed the defiant Minuteman soldier who climbed the Liberty Pole during the ceremony.
The Massachusetts 250 celebration continues through 2026, with events planned across the state. As the United States honors the Revolutionary spirit and its modern-day torchbearers like Comley and Washer, Massachusetts invites all to embrace its legendary past.
Learn more at https://massachusetts250.org/
