Acuity Flagpole

Standing 400 feet above Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the Acuity Flagpole is taller than the Statue of Liberty and stands as a reminder of the tragic events that took place on September 11, 2001, as well as the Sheboygan County veterans who lost their lives. Since the original flagpole's dedication in 2003, there have been three additional flagpoles, each resulting from additional research and more advanced engineering. The current flagpole was dedicated in 2014 and designed to withstand high winds.

The flagpole stands in memory of those lost and the ways that communities came together in the wake of the terrorist attack on America on September 11, 2001. The four attacks at the World Trade Center Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and Flight 93 claimed 2,996 victims (2,763 in the World Trade Center alone--403 of those were first responders).

The flagpole was sponsored by Acuity Insurance. As Ben Salmann, President and CEO of Acuity Insurance, stated in the Sheboygan on Press on June 1, 2003: “Having the tallest, largest flag in Wisconsin is not a political statement, nor does it come with any political affiliation. Rather, we proudly fly this flag as a statement of gratitude and recognition that we are blessed to be part of the United States of America.” 

The first flagpole was dedicated on June 2, 2003, and was 150 feet tall with a 30 ft x 60-foot flag that weighed 90 pounds. A year later, the pole's height was increased by 200 feet. When 40 mph wind gusts hit Sheboygan on New Year’s Eve in 2004, the flagpole snapped and fell to the East. An investigation revealed that more bolts should have been included in the engineering plan.

A second flagpole was erected on July 1, 2005 and for safety reasons, the location was moved 350 feet away from public roadways. This new flagpole reached 338 feet tall with a pole that was 6 feet in diameter at its base and 20 inches at the top. The flag was 7,200 square feet, weighed 300 pounds, and featured 3-foot stars. A few years later, the pole was taken down due to safety concerns. In April 2008, a third pole at the same height was installed but was taken down almost immediately for safety concerns after the pole could be seen substantially “swinging” in the wind.

After three attempts, the team returned to the drawing board with more research and partners to help engineer a successful flagpole. The flagpole was completely redesigned with the help of ARUP, an international engineering firm whose previous projects included the Dublin Spire and the Miller Park (now American Family Field) retractable roof, and Broadwind Towers and Heavy Industries in Manitowoc, which specializes in wind turbines; and Mortenson Construction.

The current flagpole was installed ahead of Memorial Day in 2014. The pole sits on a solid 7-foot wide by 10-foot deep concrete foundation with 55 tons of rebar at its base. If stretched out from end to end, the rebar would be 6 miles long. There are also 148 anchor bolts at the bottom that reach 8 feet into the foundation, ensuring that it can withstand up to 120-mile-per-hour winds.

Built in Manitowoc in six sections and assembled over multiple days, one section at a time, the new flagpole reaches 400 feet, and the pole weighs 420,000 pounds. There are two different flags that currently fly depending on the weather conditions. One weighs 220 pounds and the other 350 pounds due to additional counterweights. The current flag is 70 feet by 140 feet and needs to be replaced regularly. When the second flagpole was erected in 2005, a memorial was added to the base to honor the memory of Sheboygan County veterans. The teardrop-shaped memorial includes bricks inscribed with the name of every known local veteran from the Civil War to the present.

Founded in Franklin as the Mutual Automobile Insurance Company of the Town of Herman in 1925. In 1957, the company changed its name to Heritage Mutual Insurance Company and purchased a portion of land that had once been the Sheboygan County Insane Asylum in Sheboygan. Heritage Mutual broke ground in 1959 and moved in a year later. The company moved its headquarters to the current site in 1984 after purchasing 72 acres in 1979.

 On June 2, 2020, a sudden and extreme storm brought winds that registered 90 miles per hour on the flag’s wind gauge. The intensity tore the flag virtually in two. All pieces of the flag were retrieved and retired in a ceremony performed by the local VFW.

The Acuity Flagpole, Acuity. Accessed September 29th, 2023. https://www.acuity.com/about/flagpole.

2014 Flagpole, Acuity. Accessed September 29th, 2023. https://acuityinsurance.smugmug.com/Flag.

Background and Dedication, YouTube. Accessed September 29th, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls1oIstcAGw.

The Largest Free-flying American Flag in the Country Has Been Torn to Shreds, Newsweek. June 3rd, 2020. Accessed September 29th, 2023. https://www.newsweek.com/largest-tallest-american-flag-us-acuity-torn-apart-thunderstorms-wisconsin-1508347.

Kali Thiel. Acuity to raise record-setting 400-foot flagpole, Sheboygan Press. December 29th, 2014. Accessed September 29th, 2023. https://www.sheboyganpress.com/story/news/local/2014/12/29/acuity-flagpole/20498673/.