Trenton Maine – Flagtown USA

Have you driven through the Town of Trenton? Chances are you'll never lose sight of an American flag on the major roads as you head to Bar Harbor or to Ellsworth!

I spoke with Carroll Leland on Tuesday, and he gave me a brief history of the flags in Trenton!

According to Carroll there were 65 flags initially put up in 2006. Galen Cole donated $1000, and the Trenton Chamber of Commerce and Town of Trenton each matched that initial donation.  Nowadays the Trenton Chamber of Commerce budgets $1250 annually for the flag program, with the Town of Trenton reimbursing the Chamber $1000

Flags are put up by Memorial Day, and it normally takes Carroll 4 to 5 days to put up the flags. The other day after a heavy windstorm he was out driving the roads, replacing poles that were bent, flags that had fallen etc. and the process took him the better part of the morning. Flags start coming down after Labor Day because of the winds, with the rest coming down after Columbus Day.

Now the question that I'm sure you've wondered... Exactly how many flags are up on the poles in Trenton? The answer is 164 according to Carroll!