Why Build the World's Tallest Flag?

There is something in the American heart that rises when it sees the flag catch the wind. It happens at ballgames, at funerals, on front porches, and on the back of pickup trucks. Old Glory Rising simply asks a bold question: what if that feeling had a home tall enough to match it?

More Than Another Memorial

Southwest Missouri and the Ozarks are already rich with memorials, and rightly so. Every one of them honors a piece of our story — a battle, a hero, a sacrifice. But a memorial, by nature, looks backward.

A 700-foot American flag looks forward. It doesn't just mark what happened; it declares what we still believe. It says, in a way that words on a plaque cannot, that this nation is still worth building for.

A Symbol Big Enough for a Divided Time

We live in a season where Americans don't agree on much. But nearly everyone — veteran or civilian, young or old, city or country — still feels something when the flag passes by. That shared feeling is rare, and it deserves a place worthy of it.

A flag doesn't ask what you believe. It asks who you are — and reminds you that you belong to something larger than yourself.

Standing taller than any flag monument on earth, this landmark would be visible for miles across the Ozark hills — a quiet, constant reminder to everyone who sees it that this country is still worth loving, tending, and believing in.

A Gathering Place, Not Just a Monument

Old Glory Rising is not only a flagpole rising into the sky. It's a community center and gathering grounds designed for real life — reunions, ceremonies, school field trips, veteran homecomings, and quiet Sunday walks.

• A place for families to picnic beneath the flag
• A place for veterans to be honored by name and by community
• A place for school groups to learn what the flag has cost and what it still means
• A place for weddings, reunions, and Fourth of July mornings for generations to come

This is what sets the project apart from a statue behind a fence. It's meant to be lived in, not just looked at.

Why Southwest Missouri

The Ozarks have long been a place where faith, family, and country run deep. This region has sent its sons and daughters to serve in every American conflict, and it has welcomed them home with open arms and full church parking lots.

Building this monument here isn't an accident of geography — it's a recognition of the character already present in this land. Southwest Missouri has the heart for it; now it needs the hands.

What It Takes to Raise Something This Big

Big dreams require honest numbers. The full vision — the flag, the community center, and the gathering grounds — is estimated at approximately $51 million. That number can feel enormous, but every great American landmark started with people who believed before they could see.

The first milestone, Phase 1, has a goal of $250,000. Commemorative bricks are available for $250 each, allowing families, veterans, and neighbors to place their name — or the name of someone they love — permanently into the ground this monument will stand on.

Because nonprofit status for Old Glory Rising is still being finalized, current pledges are being received as expressions of support. Tax-deductibility will apply once that status is officially in place, and every supporter will be kept informed as that milestone is reached.

A Landmark for the Next Generation

Someday, a child riding through the Ozarks will look up and see a flag taller than anything else on the horizon. They may not know the whole history behind it, but they will feel something — pride, curiosity, maybe even hope. That feeling is the point.

This isn't about building the tallest structure for its own sake. It's about giving the next generation a reason to look up, and a reminder that this country is still worth reaching toward.

If this vision stirs something in you, we invite you to walk through it with us. Learn More about the plans, the progress, and how you can be part of raising Old Glory over the Ozarks.