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In 1975, there were a few brush fires near the cross, but they did not cause any damage. However, in June 1981, the cross was heavily damaged by high winds. Bud used the maintenance funds, but he also had to sell his home to help with the redesigning and rebuilding costs, which came to over $ 30,000.
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panels that rises it 8 1/2 ft. above the ground, making total height of the original monument 73 1/2 ft. It has an underground steel-reinforced 64-ton concrete base that is 16 sq. ft. and 3 ft. deep. The visible part of the monument was made of 1,555 sq. ft. of material. The cross was
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Distinguished recognition of appreciation is due: the
Nelsonville Area Improvement Committee; the City of Nelsonville; the York Township; the Athens County Engineerâs Office; the Electric Company; Mr. Eugene Edwards; Mr. William M. Watkins; Mr. Harold Bean; Councilman Mr. Reginald Levering, for his
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Betty died on
January 25, 1972, near Columbus at the age of 66. Bud was heartbroken and visited Nelsonville often to help himself with the mourning process. Every Sunday, he visited the First Presbyterian Church, which Betty attended while growing up there, and drove by her childhood home on Myers
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The following year, Bud wrote and published a song called âBeautiful
Nelsonville Cross.â Luella Shew and Virginia Watters composed the arrangement. Available at the Nelsonville TV Cable Co. office and local music stores, it cost $ 1 per copy at the time and proceeds went to the Nelsonville Cross
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made with a steel girder and covered with painted aluminum. It was the worldâs largest cross at the time. The cost of construction was $ 17,500 (equivalent to over $ 93,300 in 2014 dollars). Bud deeded the land to the church that helped start the project as a trustee relationship with the other
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Schwartz planned to use the fund to not only maintain the cross, but to also establish a quiet park sanctuary. By 1974, a partial roadway was constructed for visitors. Nelsonville native Emily Sharp
Hennessy of Columbus donated 15,000 sq. ft. of land to enlarge the park area and allow for the
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A few years later, repeated vandalism to the three 1,000-watt mercury vapor lights made the monument only visible during the day. In 1996, the First
National Bank Board of Directors and community members rewired the lights and created a pole-mounted light box to protect the new lighting from
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The cross was replaced in
October 1983 with Bud in attendance. He told Eugene âJoeâ Edwards, a local reporter, that, on top of being a memorial to his late wife and a tribute to God, he felt an obligation to Nelsonville to rebuild the cross as a tourist destination.
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construction of the access road. The
Nelsonville Area Improvement Committee improved the area in 1977 by updating the road, placing sod and shrubbery around the cross, and adding a plastic-coated fence around the park.
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This âNelsonville Cross Park,â a
Memorial to my dear beloved and wonderful wife âBetty,â has become a reality because of the wisdom and untiring efforts of the Rev. John Lloyd Evans, Pastor of the First Presbyterian
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The land for this nondenominational inspirational park was donated by Mrs. Emily Sharp
Hennessey, in memory of her father and mother, Mr. And Mrs. Edward B. Sharp, who beautified this hillside with lovely
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Land was secured from the
Nelsonville Lumber Company. On Sunday, April 8, 1973, the cross was erected and dedicated on the highest point in the city, the Millet, also known as Kontner Hill.
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166:. Later in life, they lived in what is now German Village of Columbus. Betty worked as the head of the cosmetics department at the downtown
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vandalism. The Brooks Shoe Company bought the property south of the cross and removed the trees blocking the cityâs view of the memorial.
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The cross was designed by Columbus architect Fred Wright. It sits on a shaft that is covered with four highly polished âRock of Agesâ
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Bud died on October 30, 1989, in Columbus. He was buried next to his wife, Betty, in Greenlawn Cemetery in Nelsonville.
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Evans, John L. âThe Nelsonville Crossâ. Athens County, OHGENWEB. Web page. Created 2004. Accessed 4 February 1915.
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150:. Elizabeth Anita âBettyâ Smith was born on April 8, 1907, in Nelsonville. On July 22, 1930, they married at
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The cross still stands, visible day and night, from most parts of the city, thanks to the local community.
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To visit the cross, turn onto Saint Charles Street from Poplar Street and go to the very end of the road.
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Johnson, Rita. âWorld's Largest Cross Erected as Memorial; Completely Dominates Scene at Nelsonvilleâ.
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Cook, Tim. âThe Nelsonville Cross Story.â Tim Cookâs WEB Page. Web page. Accessed 2 February 1915.
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time and labor in cutting down hundreds of trees, thus clearing a path for the road to this park.
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Street. Bud, the churchâs pastor, Rev. John Lloyd Evans, and his wife decided to build a
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store and Walter ran a drugstore with an electronic store and service shop in the back.
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493:âNelsonville News: Song Published About âBeautiful Nelsonville Crossââ.
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My thanks to everyone, and to you who come to glory in the âCross.â
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overlooking the city in honor of Betty and as a tribute to
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Walter L. âBudâ Schwartz was born on May 31, 1906, in
408:âNelsonville, Ohio: World's Largest Personal Cross.â
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593:Buildings and structures in Athens County, Ohio
196:A plaque at the bottom of the monument reads:
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511:â65-Foot Cross Built as Wifeâs Memorialâ.
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392:Schwartz, Walter L. âNelsonville Cross.â
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598:Monumental crosses in the United States
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228:Walter L. Schwartz Donor of the âCrossâ
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513:The Times Recorder (Zanesville, OH).
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127:Elizabeth Schwartz Memorial Cross
115:Elizabeth Anita (Smith) Schwartz
588:Monuments and memorials in Ohio
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542:Columbus Ohio City Directory
608:1973 establishments in Ohio
603:Christian religious objects
394:Beautiful Nelsonville Cross
259:Beautiful Nelsonville Cross
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497:20 November 1974: pg. 11.
465:28 December 1974: pg. 10.
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571:24 October 1975: pg. 16.
268:Repairs and Improvements
232:A smaller plaque reads:
255:churches in the city.
142:Bud and Betty Schwartz
569:The Logan Daily News.
556:The Logan Daily News.
529:The Logan Daily News.
515:10 April 1973: pg. 1.
495:The Logan Daily News.
463:The Logan Daily News.
317:The Logan Daily News.
44:39.46197°N 82.22774°W
567:âNelsonville Newsâ.
558:7 April 1975: pg. 6.
554:âNelsonville Newsâ.
531:7 April 1973: pg. 8.
461:âNelsonville Newsâ.
319:9 April 1973: pg. 2.
315:âNelsonville Newsâ.
104:Completion date
242:A Memorial to Betty
148:Warren County, Ohio
49:39.46197; -82.22774
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152:Buckeye Lake, Ohio
236:Nelsonville Cross
164:Centerville, Ohio
131:Nelsonville, Ohio
125:(also called the
123:Nelsonville Cross
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112:Dedicated to
64:Nelsonville, Ohio
17:Nelsonville Cross
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239:A Tribute to God
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107:8 April 1973
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582:Categories
296:References
35:82°13â˛40âłW
32:39°27â˛43âłN
253:Christian
200:My Thanks
189:The Cross
544:. 1971 .
60:Location
248:granite
206:Church.
168:Lazarus
137:History
83:4.5 ft.
264:fund.
212:pines.
99:65 ft.
96:Height
91:25 ft.
80:Length
285:Today
176:cross
129:) in
88:Width
121:The
70:Type
180:God
158:in
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