The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Groom is a town in Carson County, Texas, United States. There is a 19-story cross located next to Interstate 40 just northwest of the town limits. This 190-foot-tall (58 m) free-standing cross can be seen from 20 miles (32 km) away. Surrounding the base of the cross are life-sized statues of the 14 Stations of the Cross. Inspired by this cross, residents of Effingham, Illinois, erected a similar cross that is 8 feet (2.4 m) taller. Many claim this cross to be the largest in the Western Hemisphere. However, it is smaller than the cross erected in the Valle de los Caídos in Spain, and elevated 500 feet (152.4 m) overground. The cross is also 18 feet (5.5 m) shorter than the 208 ft (63 m) cross at the Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine, Florida, and shorter than the 213-foot-tall (65 m) Lakeuden Risti cross-shaped church tower in Seinäjoki, Finland. The movie Leap of Faith was filmed on location near the site of the cross in Groom, but the movie was filmed before the cross was built