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Hopedale, Massachusetts (U.S.)

image located by Valentin Poposki, 19 December 2008

Description of the flag

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Description of the flag

Hopedale is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,907 at the 2000 census. Hopedale was first settled in 1660. Benjamin Albee built a mill on what is now the south end of Hopedale in 1664. A 64-square-mile (170 km2) area of Blackstone Valley is incorporated as the town of Mendon. In 1780, Milford separated from Mendon. On August 26, 1841, Adin Ballou, along with the Practical Christians, gives Hopedale its name. Ballou and the Practical Christians established the Hopedale Community based on Christian and socialist ideologies in 1842. The town was officially incorporated in 1886 when it separated from Milford." - from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopedale,_Massachusetts.

The flag story:
"Flag unfurled at State House
By Aaron Wasserman/Daily News staff, Wed Jun 25, 2008

HOPEDALE - Nearly a decade in the making, Hopedale's town flag arrived in the State House's Great Hall yesterday. It was unfurled during a brief ceremony that served as the culmination of a project that officials said moved from the front burner to the back, and, finally, to the front again. "I think it's significant that the town be recognized in the Hall of Flags and that the town's flag be displayed," said Selectman Robert P. Burns, who came with his family. "It's an honor to have our flag displayed and I wanted to be part of that honor." Almost all Massachusetts towns already have their flags hanging in the hall. Hopedale, until yesterday, was the only one of 14 in state Sen. Richard T. Moore's district that was missing, he said.

The white flag with a golden fringe is a replica of the town seal. It commemorates the settling of the dale in 1700; when Rev. Adin Ballou and others started a utopian community in 1841; and when it was formally incorporated as a town in 1886. It depicts a scene in front of the Little Red Shop, where the famed Draper Corp. began in the 1840s, and an agricultural scene. The flag will be hung by the end of the week, though likely high up on the walls, as all the choice spots are already occupied.
Full story from http://www.wickedlocal.com/hopedale/archive/x390617750/Flag-unfurled-at-State-House, where you can also see the photo of the flag.

The Hopedale seal (in different colors) can be seen at http://www.hopedale-ma.gov/Public_Documents/HopedaleMA_BBoard/0213D95D-000F8513
Valentin Poposki, 19 December 2008