Dartmouth raises 11 flag poles at Town Hall, leaving one empty for a Purple Heart flag
The town expects to be named a Purple Heart Community in the spring and will raise that flag on the empty pole, while its own Veterans Day ceremony is Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Grove.
DARTMOUTH Eleven new flag poles now stand in front of Dartmouth Town Hall, flying the flags of all six armed forces branches and a Gold Star flag, the town said Tuesday, a day before Veterans Day.
The row at Town Hall, 400 Slocum Road, also carries the Town of Dartmouth seal, the Massachusetts state flag and the United States flag, the town said in announcing the finished project.
One of the 11 poles has been left empty on purpose, because Dartmouth expects to be designated a Purple Heart Community in the spring, and once it is, the town will raise the Purple Heart flag "in recognition of the sacrifices made by members of the military who were wounded or killed while serving our country," the town said.
The Gold Star flag
The Gold Star flag honors the immediate family members of service members who died while serving in the armed forces during a period of war or active hostilities, and its place in the row "serves as a tribute to the ultimate sacrifice made by these service members and the families who carry their legacy," the town said.
What a Purple Heart Community is
The designation comes from the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Its Purple Heart Trail program began in 1992 at Mount Vernon, Virginia, by naming roads, bridges and highways, and it grew to take in cities, towns, colleges, sports teams and other places, according to the Order's recommended procedures, last revised in February 2024. The Order describes the Purple Heart as the medal presented to men and women of all military services who have been injured or killed in action against an enemy of the United States.
Under those procedures, the process starts when one of the Order's state department or chapter commanders hears that a community wants the designation, and the community's leaders later read a proclamation naming it a Purple Heart location, which goes to the Order's trail coordinator and onto the Purple Heart Trail website. Among the options the Order lists for Purple Heart locations are setting aside Aug. 7 each year as National Purple Heart Day, putting up signs and offering Purple Heart recipients tax relief or reduced fees at parks, parking facilities and public events, and it describes communities gathering the stories and photos of their own recipients and families.
Who did the work
The town thanked its Department of Public Works and Dartmouth Parks and Recreation for their work in finishing the project, and questions go to Veteran Service Officer Matthew Brouillette at 508-910-1818 or mbrouillette@dartmouthma.gov.
Veterans Day in Dartmouth
Dartmouth's own Veterans Day ceremony is at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the Dartmouth Veterans Memorial Grove at the Council on Aging, 628 Dartmouth St., where the Dartmouth Veterans' Advisory Board and local veterans' organizations will hold what the town calls "a dignified ceremony honoring all who have served," with light refreshments afterward, the town said Nov. 4, with information at 508-910-1818.
All town facilities are closed Wednesday for the holiday, and Wednesday trash and recycling will be picked up Thursday, the town said Tuesday. The Town Hall front entrance remains closed under a town alert in place since Sept. 29, and visitors to Town Hall later in the week are asked to park in the rear and enter through the back lot.
Parades, ceremonies and closings in the other South Coast communities are in our Veterans Day guide.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Every fact comes from the Town of Dartmouth's press release on the flag poles, which the town also posted as a News Flash with its photo on Nov. 10, the town's Nov. 4 and Nov. 10 notices on Veterans Day, its Sept. 29 Town Hall entrance alert, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart's recommended procedures for Purple Heart locations. We read them on Nov. 10 and checked each date and weekday against a calendar.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (5)
- Town of Dartmouth News Flash: Town of Dartmouth Completes Flag Pole Installation Project in Front of Town HallPosted Nov. 10, 2026, with the town's photo of the poles; the same text as the press release Communications Manager Jessica Dastous sent to the press list at 9:36 a.m. Nov. 10. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
- Town of Dartmouth News Flash: Join us in honoring our veterans this NovemberPosted Nov. 4, 2026: Veterans Day ceremony Nov. 11 at 11 a.m., Dartmouth Veterans Memorial Grove, 628 Dartmouth St. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
- Town of Dartmouth News Flash: Town Facilities Closed on Wednesday, November 11, 2026Posted Nov. 10, 2026: facilities closed, Wednesday trash and recycling collected Thursday. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
- Town of Dartmouth Alert Center: Town Hall Front Entrance ClosedPosted Sept. 29, 2026, 10:06 a.m., still listed Nov. 10. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
- Military Order of the Purple Heart: Purple Heart Trail Considerations, Recommended ProceduresRevised Feb. 19, 2024. Read Nov. 10, 2026.