WELCOME TO THE BALD KNOB CROSS PAGE
update:april 16,2008
There is a new group called Friends of Bald Knob Cross who are working together to collect donations and use the money to restore the cross.. They hope to gain hundreds of members with the goal of saving the cross..
If you wish to make a donation. please send it to this address
Donations may be sent to Friends of the Cross,
P.O. Box 81,
Alto Pass IL 62905.
Friends of the cross now have a web page..
http://www.friendsofthecross.net
As of this time the legal battle continues.
There is still leagal issues between old board and new board members and on going court battles. It has been a year and nothing is close to being settled. and still the cross is falling down . there is more than 20 tiles off and the interior is rusting away.. An engineer checked out the cross and will make some estimate on the cost to fix it back like it should be.. but money is needed.. only way money donated will go for repairs is to give to the Friends of the Cross.. anyone else getting the money will not gurantee that the funds will be used only to repair the cross.
The Blessing of the bikes 2008
will be held again at the end of this month. I don't know when just watch the paper.
also the Easter Sunrise service was held this year.. Weather was not good not alot of people came.. some due to weather and some were not sure if the event would be held..
I hope the Cross situation can be resolved soon and the functions on the weekend resume and the welcome center is opened again. and the whole thing becomes a wonderful place to go to spend time with the good lord and also make it a major player on the tourism trail. It is a beautiful place when it is taken care of and open......... for all to enjoy.
Now to get the fighting between the old and new members stopped , then the cross can be restored and made back like it should have always been..
Update March 07
The cross is now showing much damage from years of wear and not being kept up. Panels have fallen off of the cross.. last count was 7.. but more are loose and could fall any time... The cross looks old weathered and lacks care. the Welcome center looks brand new without a thing out of place.. Should the name be changed FROM Bald Knob Cross of Peace to WElCOME CENTER . with a poor delapidated cross.??? This is what happens when people try to run something like it is their personal toy and not for the good of all. ...then the fights start and the take over begins and in the end the cross is falling..and the sight is lost to the real reason for them being there.. Shame the cross is in jeopardy of rusting away and falling into a heap of scrap .
The founding fathers of the cross are probably spinning in their respective graves at the way thier children and friends are handling the care of the Cross at Bald Knob Mountain.
Here are a few shots taken this month (March 07) on my trip to the top of the Mountain.
You can see the places that are about to fall off next ... water has been draining inside and out of the bottom of the cross.. The tiles are stained and look horrible...
IN THE BEGINNING: The Story of the Cross
Of Peace. The inspiration for the permanent Cross on Bald Knob
dates back to 1936. It started with Wayman Presley and W. H.
Lirely walking about and talking of a place where all
denominations and beliefs could come and meet occasionally for
combined worship.
The two men had their attention drawn to Bald Knob mountain. Fron
the first Easter Sunrise Service in 1937, where 250 people
attended to todays service which draws many hundreds. This site
has become the heart of an inspired religious activity.
You will see pictures of Myrta Clutts. aka the Pig Lady to those who know the full story of the Bald Knob Cross of Peace. Located in Alto Pass, Illinois. see map below.
FOLLOW THE MAP TO BALD
KNOB.
Directions: Bald Knob is located between interstate24,55, and 57
in Southern Il. From Illinois 127 at Alto Pass, Il. take exit for
Bald Knob. Then follow the signs for 4 miles to Bald Knob Cross .
the last four miles are a scenic widerness. Drive carefully and
enjoy the view. The road to the top is paved and nice to travel
on.
Myrta had an old sow who had a very large litter of pigs and could not take care of them alone.. the family dog who lost her litter of pups took over nursing half the pigs. Here is a picture of the momma sow and her brude.
the doggie has the other half of the litter with her.
When the pigs were weaned they were sent out to local farms to be raised till they were grown and be taken to market. Some of the profits from the sale of the pigs went to the cross fund to pay for the construction of the cross.
Here is a picture of Myrta at the cross making apple butter for one of the many events they hold up there to raise funds to keep the cross going. Myrta as well as the rest of the founding members of the cross are now deceased.
Here is Myrta stiring some apple butter at one of the functions .
Myrta was on the This is Your Life show with Ralph Edwards. They did a show on Wayman Presley. He was a mail man who had the vision for the cross.
Breathtaking scenery from the top of Bald knob.
just a sample of what you can see from the top of the Bald knob mountain
This is a picture of the cross from the road that leads to the cross. The cross is about 5 miles across country from here. The road to the cross is all black top and in good shape. It has many hills and turns but the trip up the 4 mile road is worth the drive. On the way up to the top you will see some homes where people have taken up residence. There is an orchard on the way , a horse stable and cabins.( It is up for sale) I noticed the last time I made a trip to the top of the hill the ranch house had burned....... what a shame as it was a really pretty place
SUNRISE SERVICE
Easter Morning
6a.m. to 7 a.m.
Each year there is a sunrise service on top of Bald Knob Mountain.. Pre service starts about 5:30 a.m. then service at 6 a.m. 6:00 call to worship. service lasts till 7 a.m. Dress warm and casual bring chair or something to sit on.
Bald Knob Hideaway...
New cabins is under construction just below the hill from the cross. The coffee shop and gift center is open now .. The owner is Barbara Casey
click above link for her site.
Last update April 16, 2008
.
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link to Barb's bald
knob site ( great site full of good stuff) read the story of the
pig lady there .
link to Denny's
pages .. loads of pictures from the Cross.