What is a Peace Pole?

A Peace Pole is a monument that displays the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in different languages on each of its four or six sides. There are estimated to be more than 250,000 Peace Poles standing today, and they are found in nearly every country of the world.

The idea for Peace Poles was reportedly first conceived in 1955 in Japan. The Peace Pole Project today is promoted by The World Peace Prayer Society, as well as other groups and individuals. The first Peace Poles outside Japan were constructed in 1983. 

Peace Poles are made of many materials. Most are made of wood, while others are made of limestone, copper, plastic or stainless steel. The text might be painted, carved, etched, welded, pasted, or riveted on, or it might simply be a plastic plaque attached with screws.

Peace Poles have been placed in such notable locations as the North Magnetic Pole, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the site of the Egyptian Pyramids in Giza, and the Aiki Shrine in Iwama, Japan. Peace Poles are commonly installed at high-profile public gathering places, such as community parks or near the entrances of churches or schools.

The initial inspiration for planting a Peace Pole is often as a response to a local historic hate crime, incident or issue. The world’s second-largest Peace Pole (52 feet) is located in Janesville, Wisconsin at the site of a 1992 Ku Klux Klan rally. Another of the largest Peace Poles in the world, as measured in tons, is a granite Peace Pole in Beech Acres Park near Cincinnati, Ohio, inspired by hate literature left in the driveways of local Jewish residents.

* Sources: Worldpeace.org and Wikipedia.

Meeting House of the Port Townsend Friends Meeting

1841 Sheridan St.
Port Townsend, WA 98368

On the subject of peace, the Quakers are standing firm.

And so is their pole.

The message is clear, no matter where you’re from, as the new Peace Pole that stands outside the meeting house of the Port Townsend Friends Meeting, a local congregation of the Religious Society of Friends, also called Quakers, is about 20 feet tall and calls for world peace in more than a dozen languages. 

It was, according to congregant Caroline Wildflower, a labor of love led primarily by Jeff Johnson and Doug Milholland. 

Johnson, a carpenter and member of the congregation, recently left Port Townsend for Seattle, Wildflower said, though he was pivotal in seeing the long-discussed project finally come to fruition.

“Kind of his last gift to us was to design this Peace Pole and make it happen,” she said. “And I feel honored that I got to participate in most of the phases of the Peace Pole.” 

Wildflower said Johnson, along with Milholland, also a carpenter, did most of the work of felling the chosen tree and preparing the wood.

“I contacted them and said I want to work on it, definitely,” Wildflower recalled. She was especially adamant about ensuring one particular message was etched correctly. Having lived in Japan at one time, and being somewhat skilled in calligraphy, Wildflower came prepared to write “peace” in Japanese characters. 

“I sketched it out,” she said. “I’m not fluent, but I wanted that right on that pole and I wanted it on that pole.” 

“I wanted to be sure to have Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew,” she added. The pole also includes three indigenous languages as well, along with many others. 

According to Worldpeace.org, “Planting a Peace Pole is a way of bringing people together to inspire, awaken and uplift the human consciousness the world over ... Peace Poles are now recognized as the most prominent international symbol and monument to peace. They remind us to think, speak and act in the spirit of peace and harmony.”

Wildflower said the PT Quakers hope their pole does exactly that. 

It has already inspired a bit of neighborly assistance, at least.  

During the pole’s placement and raising — on Aug. 7, between the anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki — Wildflower recalled the small, struggling crew of congregants was suddenly aided by an unexpected Samaritan. 

“This guy is driving by on the street and he sees us ... hops out of his car and says, ‘Do you need any help?’” she laughed. “He stayed and helped for like an hour or more through this whole process. He said, ‘I’m a stonemason.’ It’s the kind of town we live in.” 

Still to come, Wildflower said, is additional landscaping around the pole, which sits in the meeting house’s small garden, and also a decorative topper: a carved dove, perhaps the ultimate symbol of peace. 

The meeting house is located at 1841 Sheridan St. in Port Townsend. Visit www.ptquaker.org to learn more about the congregation.