Activist Challenges Illinois Tourism Grant To Restore Bald Knob Cross

Chicago activist Rob Sherman is pressuring a group that has restored the Bald Knob Cross of Peace, in the Ozark Mountains in southern Illinois, to return the $20,000 from a state grant that was used for part of the cost of the renovations. WSIL-TV reported yesterday that Sherman argues the grant to the Friends of Bald Knob Cross from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity violates Art. X, Sec. 3 of the Illinois Constitution that prohibits state grants for sectarian purposes. The Cross, which stands 1000 feet above sea level was originally completed in 1963 and was a popular tourist attraction. It fell into disrepair and disputes arose among board members that led to litigation which was settled only at the end of 2008. The Cross was reconstructed last year. (History.) A member of the Bald Knob Cross Transitional Board says that the grant was given to promote tourism, and that it has brought hundreds of thousands of tourists to the hill outside Alto Pass, Illinois. Sherman says he will file suit if the funds are not returned within 30 days. He also urged return of $5000 that Union County contributed toward the Cross restoration.