Flagpole installed at courthouse annex

Trustees and members of the Sulphur Springs ISD maintenance department, including (from left) Jerry Hill, jail trustee, and Mikey Cleveland, John Kirkpatrick and Butch Smith (facing away) of SSISD, worked together to raise a flagpole outside the Hopkins County Courthouse Annex near the Hopkins County Law Enforcement Center Monday afternoon. The flagpole will be unlit, so the flag will be taken down every afternoon, folded and stored properly, then raised the next morning.

“I think it’s crucial for all of us to show respect for the United States,” said Sheriff Lewis Tatum, “and I think it’s a good idea for the trustees to know what the flag stands for — its colors, its symbols and what they represent, how to fold it and how to handle it — to understand the sacrifices made for it. Being a veteran myself and having several family members who are also veterans, I can guarantee we ain’t gonna disrespect this flag.”

A second flagpole for the Texas State Flag will be installed at a later date just across the sidewalk to the right of the front door of the Annex building.