This controversial Union Square flagpole was created to honor America’s 150th birthday in 1926

The 1876 Centennial was an all-out party in Gotham—fireworks, military parades, musical performances, and thousands of American flags and bunting draped over the windows of city buildings, houses, and hotels. But the Sesquicentennial, or America’s 150th birthday? By comparison, it was much more low-key. The big national celebration took place at Philadelphia’s Sesquicentennial International Exposition. In New York City, smaller events focused on patriotic education and the creation of historical markers. Yet the 1926 celebration did bring a new addition to Union Square: the Independence Flagstaff, one of the tallest flagpoles in New York state, according to NYCParks. You’ll find this towering monument in the center of the park. “The intricate bas-reliefs and plaques were completed in 1926 by sculptor Anthony De Francisci, and feature a procession of allegorical figures representing democracy and tyranny, the text of the Declaration of Independence, and emblems from the original 13…