What It Takes to Build a 700-Foot Landmark

Picture a flag so tall it changes the skyline of Southwest Missouri forever, visible from miles of highway and hillside alike. Building it isn't just an engineering feat, it's a community achievement built one supporter, one brick, one prayer at a time. Here's what actually goes into raising a monument of this scale.

Engineering a Giant

A 700-foot structure carrying a massive American flag has to withstand Ozark wind, ice, and storms while standing strong for generations. That means deep foundations, wind-load calculations, and structural systems more commonly found in skyscrapers than in monuments.

Every beam and cable has to be engineered not just for beauty, but for safety and permanence. This is a landmark meant to outlast us all, so the engineering has to be right the first time.

The Land and the Logistics

Southwest Missouri's rolling hills are beautiful, but they present real challenges for a project this size. Site preparation involves grading, utility planning, road access, and creating space for a community center and gathering grounds around the monument itself.

Materials of this scale don't just show up overnight. Steel, concrete, and specialized flag fabric all require careful sourcing, transport, and staging long before construction begins.

• Deep foundation work to anchor the structure against Ozark weather
• Custom fabrication of flag materials able to withstand constant wind exposure
• Road and utility upgrades to support construction and future visitors
• Design and build-out of the community center and gathering grounds

The Cost of Something This Big

A project of this magnitude carries a real price tag: the full vision is estimated at roughly $51 million. That number can feel enormous, but it's also a reflection of just how ambitious and meaningful this monument is meant to be.

Phase 1 focuses on a more immediate goal of $250,000, laying the groundwork for everything that follows. Every dollar raised in this phase moves the project from vision to groundbreaking reality.

A monument this size isn't built by one person or one gift. It's built by a community that decides, together, that some things are worth reaching for.

How Everyday Supporters Help Build It

One of the most meaningful ways families and veterans can be part of this project is through a commemorative brick, available for a $250 contribution. Each brick becomes a permanent piece of the gathering grounds, a small but lasting mark on something enormous.

These bricks aren't just fundraising tools. They're a way for names, families, and stories from Southwest Missouri to be woven into the very ground beneath a monument built to honor the whole country.

Where We Stand Today

Right now, nonprofit status for Old Glory Rising is still being finalized. Until that process is complete, pledges of support are considered expressions of support rather than formal donations, and any tax-deductibility will apply once nonprofit status is finalized.

That transparency matters to us. We'd rather walk this journey honestly with our community than rush ahead of the truth, even while the work of planning, designing, and preparing continues.

Every great American landmark started with people who believed before there was proof, and Southwest Missouri has that same spirit today. If this vision speaks to something in you, we'd love for you to walk alongside us as it takes shape. Follow the Journey