By Mary Owen
An American flag proudly flies around the clock on a historic flagpole, a tribute to the past and the future.
“The flag pole, crafted by Joseph Prange, is 100 years old this year,” said owner Ron Etzel. “I expect it to be here for years to come.”
Etzel “inherited” the historic flag pole when he purchased 5 acres of the original 80-acre Koenig farm in July of 1978.
“I found lots of old lumber stacked on the ground underneath a chicken house, with much of it in various stages of decay,” Etzel said. “I started sorting it, putting the good wood in storage in another building, and burning the rotten wood. Eventually, I came across the flag pole, finding it in good shape, and stored it away as well.”
Etzel visited John and Vivian Koenig, who told the story of the flag pole, how they had purchased the salvage rights in 1952 to tear down the old Sublimity City Hall and haul it away to their farm, less than a mile away.
“They had used most of the lumber to build a shop/garage building, and many of the windows and doors to improve their home,” Etzel said.
Several weeks after his initial visit, Etzel took the flagpole to the Koenigs.
“I surprised them by giving it back to them, telling them that I wanted them to have this piece of Sublimity’s history,” Etzel said. “It didn’t take long for John to construct a concrete base to erect the pole and start flying Old Glory in front of their home.”
Years later, the Koenigs moved back to Sublimity, bringing the flagpole with them.
“John duplicated the concrete base and installed the pole, again flying Old Glory back in Sublimity,” Etzel said. “In 2002, John passed on to his eternal reward. I attended the funeral service and visited with David Koenig, John and Vivian’s son, whom I had gone to grade and high school with. Since both his parents were now deceased, I mentioned to him about keeping the flagpole in his family if they sold the house, and if no one from the family wanted it, I would be honored to put it up back on his family’s old farm. He told me to come and get it.”
The flagpole had come full circle, and was again back where it had been almost 50 years prior, Etzel said.
“I had erected it and flew Old Glory on it until our family moved into Sublimity in December of 2005,” he said. “I brought it with me and erected it here next to our driveway.”
Etzel is proud to say that almost 100 years from the day that the 12-foot-long piece of wood was fashioned into something that would last the test of time is still in Sublimity.
“If only Joseph Prange could see it now,” Etzel said. “He would be so proud to know that something he created has survived this long.”
Today, the American flag flies 24/7 in front of Etzel’s home at 501 SW Lupine Court. A flood light illuminates the red, white and blue after dark, following the rules of flag etiquette.
The couple invites interested folks to drive by and take a look at the century-old artifact that has withstood several moves and the test of time.
