Tiny Maine town is at war over local businessman's $1BN plan to build world's tallest flagpole - that would higher than the Empire State Building

Daily Mail ^ | 7/02/23 | Harriet Alexander

[Libloather]

A tiny town in Maine has been divided by a plan to build the world's tallest flagpole, with an American flag the size of a football field and an accompanying museum and theme park.

The scheme is the brain child of a local businessman, Morrill Worcester.

Worcester's family-owned business, Worcester Wreaths, cultivates thousands of acres of balsam forest used to make wreaths for Christmas. Since 1992 he has also been donating wreaths for the tombs of American veterans, and in 2007 the charity Wreaths Across America was formed.

Worcester came up with the plan for a gigantic patriotic gesture in his home state, in the town of Columbia Falls - home to 485 people, 50 miles north east along the coast from Acadia National Park.

The town is known for blueberries, lobster fishing and being among the last pristine wildernesses on the East Coast.

But last year, Worcester unveiled his plan to build a flagpole 1,461 feet tall, rising 1,776 feet above sea level, complete with an elevator to take people to the top.

The flagpole would be taller than the Empire State Building, and give views all the way to Canada.

The $1 billion scheme would include history museums telling the country's story through veterans' eyes, plus a 4,000-seat auditorium, restaurants and monument walls with the name of every deceased veteran dating to the Revolution - 24 million names.

Worcester has named the project the Flagpole of Freedom Park, and wants to create a patriotic theme park, replete with gondolas to ferry visitors around.

It would require paving over woods for parking spaces and construction of housing for hundreds, maybe thousands of workers - potentially transforming this oasis into a sprawl of souvenir shops, fast-food restaurants and malls.

[Libloather]

A flagpole with an elevator. Could be a first.

[twister881]

When Disney collapses, he should buy the theme parks and rename them LibertyLand. And no more “Sex Pervert Days” or tranny cast members.

[gundog]

Maine? Kinda out-of-the-way.

[jacknhoo]

I would go visit it every year. Hope is all works out.

[V_TWIN]

“and an accompanying museum and theme park”

I’m thinking the flag pole is a secondary concern.

[V_TWIN]

Also “It would require paving over woods for parking spaces and construction of housing for hundreds, maybe thousands of workers - potentially transforming this oasis into a sprawl of souvenir shops, fast-food restaurants and malls.”

I think I can see their grievance.

[UnwashedPeasant]

I wonder how the physics would work with a flag that big.

Would the flag be too heavy to fly? If it did fly, would it tear easily?

[Sirius Lee]

It's way the hell down east as you can see from this map. Also, Canada sank beneath the waves, which is a good thing.

And it's not like you're going to despoil any scenic vistas by hoisting a giant flag. Quite the opposite.

I say, plant the pole!

[reviled downesdad]

Force over area applies big or small.
Bigger flag weighs more but makes up for it in area.

[Trumpet 1]

If a large tree in high winds can crash over, then a giant flagpole with a giant flag can do the same. Tourist Trap with dangerous flagpole.

[Chad C. Mulligan]

I think he’s letting his ego run away with him.

This is a horrible thing to see, even if it’s only in the proposal stage.

[tired&retired]

I was thinking the same.

Imagine a tangle that turned it into a wind sock with resistance to the wind.

If it acts as a sail it could topple a big building.

They are talking about this flagpole on Fox Weekend as I type this.

[C210N]

I’d surmise such a flagpole would have characteristics of a communication tower, including guy wires

[Joe 6-pack]

Kind of reminds me of the old observation tower at Gettysburg. On one hand it was a blight on the landscape and overwhelmed the skyline. OTOH, it truly did give a fantastic bird's eye view of the terrain and provided an opportunity to see how the battle unfolded as it did.

If I had the capital to start it up, I'd do tethered hot air balloon tours of the battlefield and recreate the experience in a period-appropriate balloon experience with knowledgeable tour guides...

[deport]

plan to build a flagpole 1,461 feet tall

*************

Currently

Rank	Flagpole	         Height meters (feet)

1	Cairo Flagpole	         201.952 m     (662.57 ft)

2	St Petersburg Flagpoles  175 m         (574 ft)

3	Jeddah Flagpole	         171 m         (561 ft)

4	Dushanbe Flagpole        165 m         (541 ft)

44 more rows

[stars & stripes forever]

It can’t be any worse than the giant head that was erected in Jersey City.

https://www.hobokengirl.com/waters-soul-sculpture-jersey-city/

[cgbg]

Article says:

“among the last pristine wildernesses on the East Coast”

Lol.

The writer has no clue about what rural areas are like in that part of the country. Hopefully they stay stupid in their big city.

[mewzilla]

Mr. Worcester, if you want to do something to truly help Maine, work to get RCV repealed.

Throw your weight behind that.

Get that done first.

[Larry Lucido]

For perspective. The Empire State is about 444 meters.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

At that height, the winds will destroy a flag in days and the cost of replacements at that rate will doom the project to failure. Or should...if anyone involved was thinking ahead.