A Dubuque County landmark will get a significant overhaul this year as the rebuilding of the Centennial Cross is scheduled to start soon. Also known as the Blue Cross, it’s located in the town of Key West, about ten miles south of Dubuque.
Tim McCaffery is president of the not-for-profit Centennial Cross Incorporated. McCaffery tells KCRG-TV that the cross has been part of the skyline in the Dubuque area since 1937.
“It was built to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the archdiocese,” McCaffery says. “In 1962 I believe it was, for the 150th year anniversary, we lit the cross, the Knights of Columbus of Dubuque lit the cross, and the plan is to keep it lit.”
Construction is expected to start in the next few weeks and last four to six weeks. The group has raised about $150,000 toward of its goal of $350,000 to pay for construction and for future maintenance of the cross.
“It’s served as a beacon for travelers coming back into Dubuque,” McCaffery says. “I remember as a kid, we’d travel to our cousin’s house or when we were out of town and coming home, we always knew we were close to home when we’d see that cross.”
The current cross is 75 feet tall and has been blocked from sight for a number of years by trees. The new cross will stand 137-feet tall and will have LED lighting on both sides.
“Over the years, the trees have grown up around the cross and that made it hard to see,” McCaffery says, “and then of course, neon lights were on the cross and the trees would blow against the cross and knock out the lights, or even wind storms would break the lights.”
Donations can be made at the website: https://centennialcross.org/