New Springfield, Missouri Flag

March 1st, 2022, at 2 pm, the new Springfield flag will be raised on the flagpole on the Square for the first time. While the new city flag has been a hot topic of conversation in the last few months, the new design was actually first proposed back in 2017. After multiple presentations before City Council’s Community Involvement Committee, the Department of Public Information and Civic Engagement gathered public opinion and design submissions.

The new flag design has many representative details. The dark blue and white eight-pointed star in the middle of the flag reminds viewers of a compass star, symbolizing Springfield’s role and history as the crossroads of America. The top three points of this star are white to resemble a crown, a nod to our nickname “The Queen City of the Ozarks”. The three stars above the crown are symbols of Ozarks culture, connection with nature, and innovative spirit. The white horizontal stripe through the middle of the flag represents both Route 66 and the Ozarks Plateau, on which Springfield is built. The light blue of the background symbolizes the blue water and skies of the Ozarks.

Springfield’s original flag was designed by high school art student Amy Southerland in 1938, and sewn in the same year by Phoebe Hensley. It cost only 75 cents for the materials of the first flag, which was made of red, white, and blue heavy cotton. The red and blue bars represent civic pride and cooperation, and the white bar symbolizes the renown Springfield has received for its achievements. These achievements are religion, education, home, and industry, and they are shown through the four white stars in each corner. The flag with the original design, which flew on the square, will now be added to the History Museum on the Square’s collections.

The former flag, flying on the public square.

Written by Meg Pearson, 2022.