Fly It! Flags of the Ozarks

The hows and whys behind four of southwest Missouri's most prominent town flags.

If you call the Springfield–Greene County Library’s reference desk and ask about small-town flags, as I did recently, you’ll learn that there’s no central point of reference to learn about our region’s motley selection of town flags. Some southwest Missouri towns have flags, but not many—and they are mostly a product of recent decades. While Kansas City opts for stylized fountains and St. Louis has river-like squiggles and fleur-de-lys, we like text and not-abstract-at-all pictograms. (Hey, this is the Show-Me State.) Here’s details on four local municipal flags. There are other flags out there—Nevada and Rockaway Beach, for example. Send pictures of your town’s flag to editor@417mag.com, and we’ll post them online.

SPRINGFIELD:

Simplicity Itself

Springfield’s flag was created in 1938 by a seamstress named Phoebe Hensley, a member of the Community Business and Professional Women’s Club who got the commission. The red and blue bars stand for cooperation and civic pride, while the white bar, according to the City, stands for “the renown Springfield has received for its achievements, which are represented by the four stars of: Religion, Home, Education & Industry.” SPRINGFIELD MISSOURI is emblazoned on the white bar.

BRANSON:

Tourism Treatment

As is typical with town flags, Branson’s was a community project. In 1999, the town’s city manager, John Pinch, decided it was time the town have a logo. Jerry Adams, the city’s spokesman, helped organize a committee that chose among citizen-submitted designs, tweaking and combining them to create the final. The goal: represent Branson’s land, lakes and musical surroundings. The star symbolizes the stars of Branson’s shows.

REPUBLIC:

No Fish

Republic’s flag is the controversial one. Its original design featured a seal with the location of Republic in Missouri, a helping hand, a traditional family and the Christian fish symbol, the icthus. Jean Webb, a resident and practitioner of Wicca, objected. With the help of the ACLU, the flag wound up in federal court in 1999. Judge Russell G. Clark ordered the city to remove the ichthus, saying that the fish was explicitly Christian, could not be construed as “a universal symbol of religion” and so violated the Establishment Clause. Ever since, the secular blank spot reigns.

OZARK:

Ahead of the Curve

Ozark beat Branson by more than a decade. “I just thought we needed some identity,” is former Mayor Neal Grubaugh’s explanation for why he started an eight-month campaign for an Ozark flag in the mid-‘80s. “Springfield had one. Of course, I’ve been kinda hip on flags anyway.” The flag, designed by then-resident Jack Weins in a citizen competition, symbolizes the Finley River running through Ozark, and the bridge is a historic one near the town’s old mill.

Create a flag for 417-land

Think you can design a flag that represents all of southwest Missouri? Try your hand! Send your flag design to editor@417mag.com. We'll publish them online in early 2008.

Flag illustrations by Melinda Kinslow