Bald Knob Cross, completed in 1963, is a large white cross located in Alto Pass, Illinois, United States. The structure is 111 feet (34 m) tall and is visible, when lit at night, over an area of 7,500 square miles (19,000 km2). The base of the cross is made of Illinois marble and the upper portion is covered by reinforced steel porcelain panels. The cross can withstand winds of up to 150 miles per hour (240 km/h). It is hollow, and visitors were originally able to go to the top. This was discontinued at some point before 1982, probably due to insurance concerns about the deteriorating condition of the internal stairs.
Bald Knob Mountain was first suggested as an excellent site for a sunrise Easter service by Wayman Presley and Rev. William Lirely after the 1936 Easter service. The first such service was held in 1937, with 250 attendees, and has been held annually since. From 1984 to 1986 there was a Passion Play held in conjunction with the Easter service.
After the site was acquired, the Cross was built in stages with money from various fundraisers, the most famous of which was that of Myrta Clutts and her pigs.
Flight students from Southern Illinois University often use the cross as a landmark because it is visible from such a great distance.
In 2006, a legal dispute arose among the Board Members of the Cross. A two-year court battle ensued. All members of the organization were banned by court order from access to the grounds. During the legal wrangling, several community members led by Bill Vandergraph formed the Friends of the Cross organization to raise funds for the eventual restoration of the Cross, which was falling into gross disrepair. The litigation was resolved on Christmas Eve, 2008, when all sides in the dispute signed an agreement to drop all charges and submit their own resignations from the Board of Directors if the court would delegate leadership of the organization to a two-year Transitional Board of Directors, made up mostly from Pastors in various communities and counties in the region. The Transitional Board met for their first meeting on Friday, January 16, 2009, when they elected officers. The Board is in the process of placing the organization on firm legal and financial footing as efforts to physically restore the Cross go forward as a priority.
The Bald Knob Cross adjoins the Bald Knob Wilderness, a federally designated U.S. wilderness area covering the western slope of the mountain which the cross surmounts.
In 2010, Robert Sherman of Illinois filed a federal court challenge against state grants being spent toward the cross site, citing separation of church and state. In February 2011, the court ruled against the challenge.
Currently, the group "Friends of the Cross" is raising funds to restore the Cross.