Marker honoring Communist labor leader taken down in Concord
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May 15—CONCORD — Without any fanfare, state officials on Monday morning removed a controversial historic marker in Concord that honored a late national labor and Communist Party leader.
The move came after the Concord City Council informed the state that the marker in honor of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn next to Merrimack County Superior Court was not on city property.
Gov. Chris Sununu said he had been unaware of the marker until two Republican executive councilors brought it up at their last meeting on May 3.
The marker had been erected in a public ceremony on May 1.
Sununu ordered his office to review the approval process, which he said might result in the marker being taken down.
"All policies and guidelines were followed in removing this controversial marker. Through their public statements, the city of Concord made clear they were not advocating to keep the marker up," said Benjamin Vihstadt, Gov. Chris Sununu's communications director.
"In their communications with the state, it was learned that the marker was located on state property, not city property as previously believed, and therefore the marker was removed this morning."
A Concord native, Flynn was a founder of the American Civil Liberties Union and chaired the Communist Party of America. She served two years in federal prison after her conviction with 15 others for teaching to conspire the violent overthrow of the U.S. government.
Councilor Joe Kenney, R-Wakefield, a Gulf War Marine veteran, said the marker was an insult to all New Hampshire veterans and their families.
Two-year campaign
Arnie Alpert, the former head of the American Friends Services Committee, and Mary Lee Sargent of Bow led a petition drive that attracted the support of 30 people in 2019 to create a marker in Flynn's memory.
The COVID-19 pandemic had slowed the marker approval process, he said.
On Monday, Alpert said there was no defensible reason for the state to change its mind.
"To repeat, if necessary, we followed the state's detailed policy for nominations of markers. After approving and ordering the marker, the DHR (Division of Historical Resources) approached the city for its approval, believing that the marker would be on city property," Alpert said. "The city gave its approval to the state's request."
The state DHR guidelines allow the state to update and replace markers if it determines the "existing text is inadequate and merits rewriting."
"None of the conditions for the marker's removal have been met," Alpert said.
In a final written appeal to the state last week, Sargent wrote that Flynn had a significant impact on improving labor laws, something historians have confirmed over time.
"Flynn's place in history is secure," Sargent said.
Natural and Cultural Resources Commissioner Sarah Stewart had asked the Concord City Council if it wished to revoke its approval of the marker due to this controversy. A Concord city surveyor confirmed the marker was on state property a short distance away from the Montgomery Street home where Flynn lived for the first five years of her life.
The Concord Heritage Commission and Concord City Council approved the location of the marker as acceptable from a public safety point of view, city officials said.
The Concord City Council unanimously approved a response informing the state of its authority to take down the marker.
