page_title: Effingham, Illinois
section_title: Monument
hierarchical_section_title: Effingham, Illinois / Monument
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Kreuz an Interstate 57 und 70 in Effingham, Illinois English: Cross on Interstate 57 an 70 in Effingham, Illinois
context_page_description: Effingham is a city in and the county seat of Effingham County, Illinois, United States. Effingham is in South Central Illinois. Its population was 12,511 at the 2019 census estimate. The city is part of the Effingham, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Effingham is home to a 198 foot tall cross, The Cross at the Crossroads. The cross is the tallest cross in the United States.
  The city bills itself as "The Crossroads of Opportunity" because of its location at the intersection of two major Interstate highways: I-57 running from Chicago to Sikeston, Missouri, and I-70 running from Utah to Maryland. It is also served by U.S. Route 45, which runs from Ontonagon, Michigan to Mobile, Alabama, U.S. Route 40, the historic National Road, which stretches from Atlantic City, New Jersey to Summit, Utah, and Illinois routes 32 and 33 also run through the city. It is also a major railroad junction, the crossing of the Illinois Central main line from Chicago to Memphis with the Pennsylvania Railroad line from Indianapolis to St. Louis. Thus, Effingham has a broad range of restaurants, and lodging facilities.
  Effingham is the home of the Effingham Flaming Hearts and the St. Anthony Bulldogs.
context_section_description: A 198-foot (60 m) steel cross erected by The Cross Foundation is located in Effingham. The Cross is made out of over 180 tons of steel and cost over $1 million. The Cross Foundation claims that the cross is the "largest" in the United States standing at 198-foot (60 m) with a span of 113-foot (34 m). While the 208-foot (63 m) Great Cross in St. Augustine, Florida is believed to be the tallest freestanding cross in the western hemisphere, it is thinner than the cross in Effingham and has a narrow span.
  One resident complained that using a Christian symbol to attract tourism "reeks of avarice and hypocrisy." Another pointed out that the money that built the cross, which was collected through private donations, could have fed the poor and done other good for the community that wasn't simply "over-the-top symbolism." Philip Coats of the Cross Foundation said there was barely a ripple of criticism in the town. John Schultz, the donor who put up most of the money for the project, said, "I guess you can't satisfy everybody."
caption: Cross at Interstate 57 and 70
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