The Searcy County city of Leslie, population 375, has been known for many things. In 1955 Collier’s magazine dubbed it “The Whittling Capital of the World.” The Skylark Café has food critics raving about the small city being a food destination. And now Mayor Eric Jeager says there’s another reason to stop: a new 70‑foot flagpole rising over Highway 65 and catching the eyes of travelers as they pass.
“It’s not just a flagpole,” Jaeger said. “It’s a landmark. If you blink, you miss Leslie, but now people can look for the flag.”
The idea started at a Veterans Day event, where Jaeger watched a massive American flag unfurl across a crowd. “I told the organizer, ‘Leslie needs a big flag.’”
When Jaeger began researching what it would take, he quickly realized the project was far larger than putting a pole in the ground. “Opening up the internet and seeing everything involved, it seemed insurmountable,” he said. “There’s not just a flagpole. There’s the footing, the gravel, the metal, the size requirements, all of it.”
To get the project moving, he printed a flyer and began asking for donations. “Somebody donated $10, somebody donated $250, somebody donated $500,” he said. “It was immediate. If the community has buy‑in, they have ownership. They’re part of the story.”
One day, while talking about the project inside his store, Jaeger met a visitor wearing a WoodmenLife cap: regional director TJ Sherer. “I didn’t even notice his hat at first,” Jaeger said. “Then he told me who he was, and within minutes he said, ‘I want to fund the rest of this project.’ It was a God thing. The stars were aligned.”
From there, the work accelerated. County crews helped clear a tree, volunteers dug out the site and utility workers helped raise the pole. Even the handrail was a grassroots effort. “I got a quote for $5,300,” Jaeger said. “My water guy said he had a welder, drove to Harrison, bought $700 of steel, and we made it.”
On Flag Day, also the U.S. Army’s birthday, more than 200 people gathered to watch the flag rise for the first time. “It was moving,” he said. “Somebody drove all the way from Paragould because they’d been watching it on Facebook.”
Beside the pole stands a carved bald eagle, shaped from the tree that was removed during construction. Chainsaw artist “Termite” created the sculpture. “He said the bald eagle was always in the tree—he just uncovered it,” Jaeger said.
Beyond the flagpole and the eagle carving, Jaeger added one more element to the project: a second flag that made its own symbolic journey. “I wanted our flag flown over the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, the Arkansas State Capitol and the county courthouse,” he said. ‘Flying a flag’ is when a flag is raised on the pole outside of a landmark building, and a certificate of authenticity is received after each successful raising. The town’s new flag was too big for federal sites, so Jaeger worked with Sen. John Boozman’s office to obtain a smaller 5‑by‑8 flag. “I got it flown over the Capitol,” he said. “Then I asked him to hand‑carry it to the Pentagon and have it flown over the Pentagon.”
After that, state and local officials helped fly the flag over the Arkansas State Capitol and the Searcy County Courthouse. Finally, Jaeger raised it over Leslie’s new landmark. “It’s seen all levels of government,” he said.
For Jaeger, a 26‑year Army veteran who grew up in Leslie, the effort carries deep personal meaning, he said. “I took an oath to defend this nation. This flag I served under for 26 years. For it to go to all these levels of government and now stand here in the lowest level of government, it means something.”
The project reflects the heart of Leslie, Jaeger said. “People helping people. That’s what this community is. This is everybody’s flagpole. It belongs to everyone in this community.”
