Although the historic arch is located on the campus of a functioning private school of over 900 students, we have found a solution to still make the site accessible by including a paved pathway connecting the arch to the historical museums situated right next door.

The Caring Community Foundation has established the St. Marys World War I Memorial Arch Fund and will receive and manage all donations. This arrangement keeps all funds separate from governmental and other local organizations and restricts the use of donations for the Arch project. The Foundation is an independent private non-profit organization serving Pottawatomie and surrounding counties.

Yes, the Caring Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity. Address is PO Box 54, Onaga, KS 66521.

Given that the arch is now over 100 years old there are significant safety concerns surrounding the arch. We must face the reality that the structure needs to be removed since it is beyond simple repair, but before doing so want to have a plan to reconstruct in place.

This answer is three-fold. Firstly, restoring the arch adds economic value to the City of St Marys. The arch will bring more visitors to the town, making St Marys a more attractive destination. Secondly, we want to honor those who served, especially those who died in the Great War. They died so that we could live. Thirdly, the rest of the country is tearing down these monuments and wiping away our history; we want to preserve and protect our history.

This monument is something no other town has, and if we lose it, it is gone forever. When the memorial was built over 100 years ago, it was a big deal; it is so valuable that we do not want to remove it.

The goal is to have 80% of the funds raised by September and 100% by the beginning of the year. This timeline will let construction begin in the spring of 2025, with a completion date by the fall. The timeline of this project ultimately depends on the funds available and generous donations.

Ultimately, this will be determined by the amount of funds we can raise by the end of the year. This may have to be a phased project, causing this initiative to last longer than we hope.

Our current plan is to have a concrete structure with stone cladding. The decorative parts of the arch will be carefully removed and scanned. With today’s 3D scanning technology, we can make this arch identical to the original.

The cost of the project is currently estimated in the millions. However, we are still working to bring that cost down by using hands-on artisans in the local community.

No. This initiative is fully funded by generous independent donations and grant money.

The goal is to establish a permanent endowment to cover the arch’s future maintenance cost.

Please volunteer, donate, or do both. We need volunteers now for fund raising and communications and later will need volunteers to help with construction. A formal fundraising effort will be launched later in 2024.

Lt. Fitzsimmons was an American physician and United States Army Officer in World War I and is considered the first American officer killed in the war. Lt Fitzsimons attended St Mary's College before attending KU Med, attaining a Doctor of Medicine degree.

In 1923, alumni of the original St. Mary’s College raised funds to build a memorial arch (the Arch) to honor the “Sons of St. Mary’s College” who had given their lives in World War I.