LARGE CROSSES...

Adam writes:

So tell me Jim, where is the largest cross in the western hemisphere?

Well Adam, I'll tell you. My daughter Anna, goes to IU in Bloomington Indiana. While driving from St. Louis to Bloomington, we pass a very large cross in Effingham IL. It was, by far, the largest cross that I have ever seen. Last week, though, I was driving my son, Adam,
to his new job in Tucson AZ. On the second day of travel, after we had made stops at the Big Texas Steak Ranch and the Cadillac Ranch, we saw a roadside sign advertising the "Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere", so we had to stop and check it out. As we got to Groom TX., within sight of that cross, I was surprised to see that the cross looked exactly like the one in Effingham. When we got to the giant cross, we stopped to take pictures and explore. Under the cross was a gift shop so I stopped in to see if I could find any information about these two, very similar crosses. When I asked the hostess if she knew anything about the cross in Illinois, she proceeded to tell me some history of these two crosses.

Apparently, a man by the name of Steve Thomas of Groom TX. Decided to build a giant cross. He decided on the height of 190' because anything higher than 200' comes under the jurisdiction of the FAA and is required to have a beacon on the top. Later, John Schultz from Effingham drove by this cross and became inspired to build one in his hometown. He stopped and talked to Mr. Thomas who gave him the blueprints and permission to use them. Mr. Schultz went home and built the second cross in
Effingham. He also did not want to put a beacon on his cross so he stayed under the 200' height, however, his cross topped out at 198', eight feet higher than the one in Groom TX.

I did a short Internet search to see if I could find anyone who claimed to have the largest cross in the world. I found several sites that claimed the cross in Groom was the largest in the world (though there own web site does not). I also found several sites that claimed the cross in Effingham was the largest in the world, though again, their own site does not. I also found other sites that made claims of the world's largest cross, though they were not as large as either of the previously mentioned crosses. I found plans from the owner of Domino's Pizza to build a 250' crucifix, however, it had a base that appeared to be over 150' not to mention that a cross and a crucifix are not the same. I went to the Guiness site of world records but could not find any claims for largest crosses.

So what we do know is the cross in Groom claims (or at least claimed to be) the largest cross in the western hemisphere. The cross in Effingham makes no claims however is 8 feet taller. They are the two largest crosses I've ever seen or heard of. Others make claims that are either wrong or unverifiable.

And what can we conclude from this? Jim can't conclude with certanty what the largest cross is in the western hemisphere, the Internet has a lot of bogus information so always be skeptical of claims and verify them with other sources, and Jim, from ASK JIM, does not know everything.