117 year old flagpole at historic Greeneville site taken down after storm damage

Visitor safety and storm damage have brought down the flagpole that stood inside the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site in Greeneville for more than 100 years.

A post on social media by park officials said the beam that stood over top of gravesites of war veterans was wrecked by the May 17 storm and had become a potential safety hazard.

The post was first erected in Greene County in 1908 and was made from the mast of a decommissioned US Navy vessel. The portion of the cemetery where the pole stood has been reopened to the public.

(IMAGE: National Park Service / Andrew Johnson National Historic Site / Official Facebook)