Lawn Star

Old Glory has remained front and center at America’s oldest seaside hotel for more than 200 years. When it came time to replace the largest freestanding wooden flagpole on the east coast, there was only one man for the job.

article diane stopyra

The tallest wooden flagpole on the eastern seaboard casts its distinguished shadow on the Grand Lawn of Congress Hall. Like the Cape May hotel, it is a landmark. Historic. A symbol of patriotism, resilience and tradition.

At 58 freestanding feet, towering above myriad visitors sipping happy hour cocktails in Adirondack chairs and surfers riding glassy waves at sundown just across the street, Congress Hall’s flagpole—an exact replica of the wooden shaft that stood on this same lawn over a century ago—radiates a gravitas found in few places in America. (Technically, the pole at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry, which hoists the flag that inspired America’s national anthem during the War of 1812, has Congress Hall’s beat by about two feet. But, depending on your standard, that one doesn’t count—like the average radio tower, it requires cables for support.)

“We wanted to replace what was there. I remember the original one broke and fell to the ground when I was a kid in the ‘70s,” said Curtis Bashaw, founder of Cape Resorts. “The base was simply taken away, and the lawn was being used then as a parking lot. There was no base to replace it. It was left to old photographs to remind us of how the flagpole looked.”

Years later, Bashaw contacted Danny Kaifetz, owner of the Adirondack Flagpole Company located 60 miles south of Montreal. A former Marine and a veteran of the Vietnam War, Kaifetz is the only traditional wooden flagpole maker in North America—he has built more than 400 in a 17-year career. These artisanal creations can be found in 42 states across the country, at the private estates of mechanics and billionaires, from farms in Iowa to rocky shorelines in Maine and in front of historic institutions and museums. The flag of one especially memorable pole was raised in Brooklyn by a Navy Seal in a moving, 10-year anniversary ceremony honoring first responders who died in 9/11. But the northern red oak iteration Kaifetz built for Congress Hall? That may just be his magnum opus.

“It was one of the most significant—if not the most significant—I’ve ever done,” he said. “I never wanted to exceed this one after it was done. We could probably go as high as 60 feet by rearranging some things in my shop, but I never offered that to anybody. I wanted this to be the site of my tallest.”

For Kaifetz, the pride he feels for this particular commission stems from the values he sees espoused by Congress Hall. Among these standards is a deep-rooted respect for country. Every year on Independence Day, the hotel, which has hosted four sitting presidents and which once served as the Summer White House of Benjamin Harrison, holds an elaborate Fourth of July celebration honoring America. The grand columns of the 200-yearold resort are illuminated in red, white and blue as rosycheeked kids and their parents watch fireworks explode over the ocean.

So, in 2012, when Congress Hall approached him about recreating a flagpole from the hotel’s past, Kaifetz, the son of a World War II veteran, instantly knew this project would be a rewarding one. He also knew it would be a great challenge. Given its height, this creation would need to be the company’s first shot at a double-masted pole, just like the original—essentially, two poles bound vertically together.

The first step was to examine century-old photographs. Employing a series of trigonometry equations and a mathematical device called a micrometer, Kaifetz was able to determine the size of the original. After con-

sultation with representatives from the forestry department at Syracuse University, northern red oak was selected as the wood of choice, both because it is native to the northeast and because it offers strength and flexibility as well as beauty.

To assemble the pieces of each mast into a four-sided obelisk—the shape of the Washington Monument—Kaifetz employed finger joinery, achieved by cutting a set of profiles in the wood that interlock like the fingers of two hands sliding between one another. These pieces were then glued together using several hundred German steel clamps and a marine-grade epoxy.

“Nobody can tell you how to do this,” Kaifetz said. “If you wanted a steel or aluminum pole, you could simply consult the manufacturer. But that’s not the case with the recreation of a traditional pole—if you want to achieve that classic beauty, there is no manual.”

A History of Patriotism

Flags and patriotism have always been a staple at Congress Hall. From 1816, when the hotel opened, flags have graced the building’s roof, lawn and verandas. Owner Curtis Bashaw, in speaking at the flag ceremony in 2012, mused about how the number of stars on the flags that have flown at Congress Hall has changed through the years. For example, when Thomas Hughes opened the hotel in 1816, there were just 15 stars on Old Glory. The hotel’s History Hall pays tribute to this, with a flag representing the era of each owner.

This illustration, believed to be the earliest existing image of Congress Hall, dates from 1838—the flag can be seen on the top-left of the photograph and would have featured 25 stars, after the addition of Arkansas in 1836.

The inside of the pole was left hollow to allow for a chromoly core—in other words, the center is aircraft-grade steel that is especially resistant to corrosive salt air. Into this steel core, Kaifetz shot a piece of string, using a hunting crossbow, which was then used to pull a lightning-resistant cable from one end to the other. Next up? Fourteen coats of varnish and several days of applying white, marine-grade yacht paint, followed by painstakingly detailed sanding. The whole process took two men one month.

In order to transport the pole to Cape May, 17 men carried the 1,200-pound, $25,000 finished product on their shoulders out of Kaifetz’s workshop and onto a trailer custom built specifically for this purpose. During a June 2012 ceremony celebrating the 10th anniversary of Congress Hall’s famed restoration—attended by politicos, dignitaries and misty-eyed guests—the flagpole was erected onto a 10-foot base on the Grand Lawn using a 125-foot crane and specialized hydraulic jacks. Kaifetz said it took 37 seconds from start to finish—“I held my breath the entire time, although it went up beautifully.” Members of the Marine Corps League raised the first flag, a process akin to watching “a horse being pulled up a cliffside on a rope,” said Kaifetz.

“When I left, I didn’t have the feeling I’d just put up a pole at Disneyland. I had a feeling I’d just recreated a piece of history in a place where it’s very much appreciated.”

In the years since, the pole has become a cherished part of Congress Hall’s landscape, and it has faced its share of challenges. Take Hurricane Sandy, originally forecasted to make landfall in Cape May, just five months after the flagpole’s installation.

In Congress Hall’s Brown Room bar, boarded up but open for business, reporters from ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox 29 and the Associated Press drank dark and stormy cocktails between filming updates in 75mph winds just outside. By all accounts, this was set to be another in a long list of crises faced by the hotel in its 200-year history, from devastating storms to the Great Fire of 1878, which burned the entire structure down. From his home in the Adirondacks, Kaifetz watched the nerve-wracking coverage.

“The storm aimed straight for my flagpole, which is

One of the bleakest points in Congress Hall’s long history came in the early 1900s when owner Annie Knight closed the hotel after a standoff with the city council that lasted for a decade. On the left, the deserted hotel is shown in 1912, its flag still proudly flying. Below: Owner Knight is pictured (front row, center with staff on the lawn of the renovated hotel in 1928. Bottom: The flag flies during the early 1950s and mid-1960s.

In June of 2012, the 58-foot pole was installed prior to a special ceremony, during which the flag was raised by members of the Marine Corps League.

only about 75 yards from the water,” he said. “All night, I watched as roofs were torn off, and I’m thinking they’re not showing my flagpole because it must be broken. It must be lying down. Finally, about 2am, the camera pans and there is my flagpole. I’ve never been so relieved in my life.”

The hotel, its flagpole and indeed the entire town of Cape May escaped the brunt of the damage from Sandy, as an 11th-hour wind shift left the island just south of the hurricane’s eye and protected from devastating tidal surges. The hotel and its flagpole have continued weathering the elements ever since, the latter a constant reminder to visitors from all over the country of what unites them.

“When families let our traditions slip away as unimportant, it is a very insidious type of damage that’s done,” Kaifetz said. “If you don’t honor the flag, you forget what it stands for: freedom and sacrifice. And without this reminder in our busy life, we are apt to forget what a great nation this is, and how lucky we all are to live here.”

Set to retire soon, Kaifetz is planning on a quiet life in the Adirondacks spent fishing, making his own moonshine, and reflecting on his years traveling the country. He would also like to plan a road trip across the U.S. to see as many of his flagpoles as possible, including the one he installed nearly a decade ago at Congress Hall.

“Who knows?” he said. “One of these days, I might just hop on my motorcycle and not even tell anyone I’m going. I’ll sit in one of those chairs on the Grand Lawn, have one drink from the Brown Room bar—a chardonnay or maybe a bloody mary if it’s morning—and then I’ll turn around and go right home again. It will be worth it just to see that old friend one more time.”

Maintaining the Legacy

In April 2021, the team at Congress Hall disassembled the flagpole for some repairs and maintenance. After dozens of coats of paint and polish, the beloved flagstaff was ready to be raised for many more seasons to come.

Congress Hall Icons

In addition to our iconic flagpole, Congress Hall is home to numerous other storied heirlooms—some more well-known than others!

Want to find a few Congress Hall curiosities for yourself?

Take a trip to the Concierge Desk and ask for one of our Scavenger Hunts!

THE BOILER ROOM STAIRCASE

The 1996 demolition of the Christian Admiral was a sad day for Cape May, but many artifacts and fittings from the grand old hotel were salvaged and re-used in the renovation of Congress Hall. The railing that runs from the Blue Pig Tavern to the Boiler Room is a notable example.

ILLUMINATING SUBJECTS

Left: The chanedliers in the Lobby are also relics of the Christian Admiral. Right: The chandeliers in the Grand Ballroom were installed by thenGeneral Manager Gil Ramagosa in a 1960s renovation of the hotel.

DISHES & HOLLOWARE

When Congress Hall was being renovated in 2001, an excavation produced a box containing a stash of

original Congress Hall china, creamers and sugar

bowls. The dishes were made by the Buffalo Pottery Company in New York, while the sugar bowls came from D. W. Haber and Sons in the Bronx. Both companies were still in business and the china and bowls were reproduced in time for the hotel’s 2002 opening.

ANCHORS AWAY

Located in the flowerbeds beside the Grand Lawn, Juno’s Anchor was on the Spanish ship Juno Vera in 1802, when the ship disappeared in a nor’easter. It was hooked in 1968 by Captain John Davies and bought by the Reverend Carl McIntire, who owned Congress Hall from 1968-1995.

The Admiral’s Anchor is located by the staircase leading to the beach. It sat at the entrance to the Christian Admiral until the building's demolition in 1996.