Get Right With God Stone Cross. You may have seen these stone crosses that says “Get Right With God” in Tazewell, TN or even Harroage, TN. So what is the deal with these stone crosses?
Get Right With God Stone Cross
You will find some of these crosses going up 25E in Tazewell and Harrogate. They are gray in color with black lettering. One thing you will notice is they all say “Get Right With God”. It sends us a good reminder that we will answer to God one day. Just a side note, not all of them have black lettering, some do have red lettering. Not only did he do cross shaped monuments, he did heart shaped one too. Even one heart monument says “Jesus Is Coming Soon”
So how many of them are there? Why did someone put them up there? How long have they been there?
I hope to try to do research and answer those questions for you.
Who:
Reverend Harrison Mayes of Middlesboro, KY a coal miner made Christian monuments mostly of a cross or a heart. Most of all of them said “Get Right With God”. Mayes even got around by bicycle, as he never had a driver license. He often got help from his friends who had trucks. Mayes even got supplies from his fellow coal mining coworkers. You might find some that says “Made Right With God”
Born 1898 – Died 1986
Why:
Mayes was trapped in a mine one day and he made a promise to God if he lived he would dedicate his life to Him. So Mayes made these heart and cross moments in His honor. He wanted these monuments placed around the world … and even on other planets. Today you can say he was a highway evangelist.
When:
Mayes started doing these signs in the 1930’s until he died in 1989. Around 59 years! However, today many of these have been removed due to construction and widening of many highways. Even The Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, TN has information about him at the museum there. They even have a collection of his signs there too.
Where:
Below is a list of places where people have spotted these monuments by Mayes. Also note, that some of these places may no longer have the sign up due to it being removed for construction or relocated by someone else.
- Fletcher, NC
- Fork Ridge, TN
- Gibson Station, VA
- Harrogate, TN
- Marble, NC
- Mingo Hollow, TN
- Murphy, NC
- Ruth, NC
- Smyrna, TN
- Tazewell, TN
Reports of them being in Wyoming, Colorado and Ohio.
Closing:
Even his home was done up too! His house was in the shape of a cross! You can’t tell it from the ground. However, high up you could see the cross and the house saying Jesus Saves!
Have you seen any of these?
If you have seen any of these monuments, please feel free to share where you saw them at. Tell me a bit about them, etc. Do you have anything else to add to the information listed in this article? Comments are welcome!
Church Sign
Mayes was reported to not belong to any church, but The Tazwell Church of God in Tazewell, TN has a Prepare to Meet God outside it. I always wondered if they had anything to do with these stone crosses in the area. From my research above, they don’t. If anyone knows otherwise, feel free to share in the comments.
Update: On November 30, 2017, I got a phone call from Edward Noonchester, who is a pastor of The Tazwell Church of God in Tazwell, and he confirmed that this was one of Mayes signs. He was asked if they could put this sign up at their church and they gladly accepted.
Sources:
Check out these sources below, some of these sites have more photos of others.
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Eddie DeHart I did the blog post on those stone crosses. Thought I’d let you know it’s been published.
A close up photo of one appears in the PBS documentary “The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is our song.” Photographed in 1965 by James H. Karales, American, 1930 – 2002 it shows a close up image of the cement cross with civil rights marchers in the background as they walk from Selma to Montgomery Alabama. This is a a long way from More detail and the photo can be seen here (Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Monica Karales and the Estate of James Karales). https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2015.129.66
Thank you for sharing, that is cool and the similarities, I wouldn’t doubt if there are more like these in other locations.