A large cross in Yancey County is causing quite a stir after claims of taxpayer money are being used to light and maintain the installation. Standing well over 100 feet tall, attached to a fire tower atop a mountain, the cross beaming over Burnsville is now the talk of the town.
The cross has been around for 60 years or so, but being newly re-lit has it creating buzz. Plenty of people love it, some are even making and selling $20 t-shirts in support of the cross. $5 of the proceeds from each sale is going towards keeping the maintenance and light on.”
Other Burnsville residents don’t share the same view. Some are calling for it to be taken down. Some have started a Facebook page called “Turn off the Burnsville cross that is on state land.”
Some have mentioned light pollution is also a problem. The Bare Dark Sky Observatory sits not far from the large cross. Many like claim the bright light drowns out starry views.
Mayland Community College, which owns and operates the observatory just outside Burnsville. President Dr. John Boyd provided a statement which reads, in part:
“During the last couple of years, we have lived in very strange times, maybe the historic lighted cross in Burnsville will help bring a little normalcy and hope back to our community We believe that the cross will only add to our community and are not in conflict with it.”
So, who owns the cross and who is paying for it to stay lit? Yancey County manager Lynn Austin said the county does not own the property.
“That is not in the county’s name whatsoever.” When asked if county funds have ever gone toward lighting the cross or maintaining it she said
“It did in the very beginning, “We had some county funds that initialized it, but all those have been paid back.”
According to property records, in October 1941, a Yancey County resident sold the land to the state of North Carolina for $1.
However, per the contract, since the state failed to keep a fire watchman at the site for a period of two years, the property was legally considered abandoned and ownership reverts to the original owner, C.M. Bailey.
Some said a compromise is the best solution to the back-and-forth. Suggestions include dimming the lights or only illuminating the cross during holidays.
