Qualla: Groom's Cross: The Largest in the Western Hemisphere

Groom's Cross: The Largest in the Western Hemisphere: Introduction

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Highlightwiki, CC BY 4.0. You see it from miles away. The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ rises 190 feet above the Texas Panhandle, visible across the flat plains long before Groom itself appears. Built in 1995 by Steve Thomas, a structural steel contractor who wanted to create something visible to Interstate 40 travelers, the cross is exactly what Texas Christianity looks like: enormous, unsubtle, and impossible to ignore. It's the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere, constructed from steel, anchored against 90 mph winds, illuminated at night, surrounded by life-size bronze statues depicting the Stations of the Cross. Believers find it moving; skeptics find it audacious; everyone acknowledges that it's certainly visible.

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Image: Highlightwiki | CC BY 4.0

Groom's Cross: The Largest in the Western Hemisphere: The Construction

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit C. G. P. Grey, CC BY 3.0. Steve Thomas was driving I-40 in the early 1990s when he conceived the project. A structural engineer and devout Christian, he designed a cross that could withstand Panhandle winds and be visible from maximum distance across flat terrain. The result: 190 feet tall, 110 feet arm t...

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Image: C. G. P. Grey | CC BY 3.0

Groom's Cross: The Largest in the Western Hemisphere: The Site

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit C. G. P. Grey, CC BY 3.0. The cross anchors a devotional complex. Life-size bronze Stations of the Cross - depicting Jesus's journey to Golgotha - line a walkway around the monument. A 'Empty Tomb' replica demonstrates resurrection. A 'Coming King' sculpture park is being developed. The gift shop sells re...

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Image: C. G. P. Grey | CC BY 3.0

Groom's Cross: The Largest in the Western Hemisphere: The Controversy

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit C. G. P. Grey, CC BY 3.0. Not everyone appreciates the cross. Critics call it a billboard for Christianity, an imposition on a secular landscape, an example of religious excess. Supporters counter that it's private property, privately funded, imposing nothing except visibility on a voluntarily taken inter...

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Image: C. G. P. Grey | CC BY 3.0

Groom's Cross: The Largest in the Western Hemisphere: The Competition

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Gorup de Besanez, CC BY-SA 4.0. Giant crosses are an American genre. The Groom cross inspired imitators: Effingham, Illinois (198 feet, slightly taller); Corpus Christi, Texas (210 feet, claiming the record); Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (150 feet). The heights are disputed; measurement methods vary. What's consisten...

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Image: Gorup de Besanez | CC BY-SA 4.0

Groom's Cross: The Largest in the Western Hemisphere: Visiting Groom Cross

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit C. G. P. Grey, CC BY 3.0. The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ is located at Exit 112 off Interstate 40, roughly 40 miles east of Amarillo. Admission is free. The site includes the cross, Stations of the Cross walking trail, Empty Tomb replica, gift shop, and restrooms. The cross is illuminated at night, vi...

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Image: C. G. P. Grey | CC BY 3.0