What is up with the three wooden crosses?

[Cool-Beans]

On my drive to Florida (and back) I saw three wooden crosses. The middle one was usually bigger than the others. There were many of these 3 crosses in different areas.

Is this symbolic of the crucifixion? Is it symbolic of something else? Is there any rhyme or reason to the placement of these crosses?

I searched online and found different answers.

Anyone know?

 

[Charade]

There's a set of them (metal) around the corner from me (next to the highway). I think signifies the Trinity. (Father, Son and Holy Ghost).

 

[JennaTX]

Where were they?

 

[Cool-Beans]

There's a set of them (metal) around the corner from me (next to the highway). I think signifies the Trinity. (Father, Son and Holy Ghost).

As good an explanation as any. Thanks!

Where were they?

On the side of the highway, usually on hills, I think.

I kept singing that Randy Travis song, which drove my friend nuts. "There were three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway. Why there's not four of them, heaven only knows..."

 

[The_Horned_King]

I don't know for certain...but My guess is it's symbolic of christ crucifixion.

There are three(the middle being the largest) because christ was crucified with 2 theives(one on each side) and Obviously you'd have to have the cross christ was on bigger then the crosses of 2 common theives.

 

[The_Horned_King]

Just found this for you....

Have you ever been driving down the highway and wondered about the three crosses you've seen along the roadside?

They were put up by a man named Bernard Coffindaffer, who was born in Craigsville, West Virginia. At 42 years of age, Mr. Coffindaffer became a Christian and had a vision to "plant crosses".

He raised and spent $3,000,000 planting 1,864 trios of crosses in 29 states, Zambia and the Philippines. West Virginia has 352 sets of crosses, the most of any state.

The crosses are for everyone, he said. Not for saints or sinners, but for everyone, just a reminder of Jesus as you drive by.

You can't see it from the highway, but the crosses have three nails in them, symbolic of where a body would be.

Mr. Coffindaffer died at his home in 1993. His crosses are now cared for by the people who own the land, or by nearby churches who "adopt" the crosses.

Almost anywhere I drive, I pass crosses. I am inspired that one person could present such a strong reminder to the world in such a simple way. With just a glance as I whiz by at 70 miles per hour along the Interstate, I receive a gentle message.

http://http://activerain.com/blogsview/66512/Three-Crosses-Along-the

 

[Piecey]

We have them here on a hill by the interstate.

At least, when I used to be on the interstate daily a few years ago they were still there.. don't drive it very often anymore so I suppose they could be gone.

 

[Piecey]

Just found this for you....

http://http://activerain.com/blogsview/66512/Three-Crosses-Along-the

Well. That makes sense now why they're all over the place up here.

 

[PlainJane]

I kept singing that Randy Travis song, which drove my friend nuts. "There were three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway. Why there's not four of them, heaven only knows..."

When I clicked on this thread I thought it was going to be about that song. I've only heard the song a couple of time, and that was enough. I guess, I just don't agree with the message.

Anyway, I would assume it was suppose to signify the trinity, like everyone else said.

 

[CPT Tripss]

it's country so I never heard it - the lyrics

A farmer and a teacher, a hooker and a preacher,
Ridin' on a midnight bus bound for Mexico.
One's headed for vacation, one for higher education,
An' two of them were searchin' for lost souls.
That driver never ever saw the stop sign.
An' eighteen wheelers can't stop on a dime.

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway,
Why there's not four of them, Heaven only knows.
I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you,
It's what you leave behind you when you go.

That farmer left a harvest, a home and eighty acres,
The faith an' love for growin' things in his young son's heart.
An' that teacher left her wisdom in the minds of lots of children:
Did her best to give 'em all a better start.
An' that preacher whispered: "Can't you see the Promised Land?"
As he laid his blood-stained bible in that hooker's hand.

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway,
Why there's not four of them, Heaven only knows.
I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you,
It's what you leave behind you when you go.

That's the story that our preacher told last Sunday.
As he held that blood-stained bible up,
For all of us to see.
He said: "Bless the farmer, and the teacher, an' the preacher;
"Who gave this Bible to my mamma,
"Who read it to me."

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway,
Why there's not four of them, now I guess we know.
It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you,
It's what you leave behind you when you go.

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway.

 

[crashbb]

I always wondered what happened to the bus driver - shouldn't there have been four crosses anyway (even if the hooker didn't die)?

 

[nataliela]

The three crosses symbolize Jesus (in the middle) and two thieves that were crucified on the same day


They have a set of these crosses in Baton Rouge...and how they are located....when you walk into the Wal*Mart you can see them....Its kind of like going into the holy land!

 

[kangareaux]

The three crosses symbolize Jesus (in the middle) and two thieves that were crucified on the same day


They have a set of these crosses in Baton Rouge...and how they are located....when you walk into the Wal*Mart you can see them....Its kind of like going into the holy land!

LOL! Yeah, the first time I llooked over and saw them I was like "WHOA!" They are HUGE! LOL! Of course, I was the same way when I looked up from Petsmart and saw the new Kohls. (NOT to compare the crosses to Kohls! <-*DISCLAIMER*) I didn't know kohls was being built and didn't see it until it was fully finished....as I was halfway back to my car in the parking lot. Apparently my confused/amazed/open-mouthed stare was a common reaction. I stopped in the middle of the lot looking at it. A petsmart employee arriving for work never broke stride and said "yep, it's new"!

>Hi-jack over...please continue!<

 

[tinatark]

There are 3 white crosses along the interstate, I think it's on I-95 in South Carolina, they're from a car accident, and are lettered "Mom", "Dad", "Sister".

But I don't think they're what the OP is talking about. I haven't seen the others referenced.

 

[Gina]

That's strange... crosses along a roadside, at least down here, have *always* signified the site of an accident for as long as I can remember. (I'm 41, for reference.) If someone is now deciding to have them symbolize the Trinity, it would be pretty impossible for me to switch my mindset to that meaning.

 

[luvsJack]

That's strange... crosses along a roadside, at least down here, have *always* signified the site of an accident for as long as I can remember. (I'm 41, for reference.) If someone is now deciding to have them symbolize the Trinity, it would be pretty impossible for me to switch my mindset to that meaning.

The crosses the OP is talking about are different than the ones signifying an accident. The crosses put up in someone's memory, around here anyway, are smaller, wooden and usually have a name and/or flowers on them. The crosses OP is asking about are really large and are always in sets of 3. I think the middle and larger one is usually a different color (white maybe?) from the other two.

 

[ntsammy5]

They're all over the place along I-79 and I-77 in PA, WV, VA & NC. A lot of churches put them up and maintain them A lot of them have the center cross painted gold. We started seeing them in the early 1980s but they may have been there before that and we just never noticed them. We rarely drive further south than NC - I'd rather fly than drive to WDW.

 

[cteddiesgirl]

The crosses the OP is referring to usually look something like this:

They stand for either the cruxifiction or the Holy Trinity. Depends on your viewpoint.

 

[MushyMushy]

Well. That makes sense now why they're all over the place up here.

Yeah, I never knew why. We always wondered why there were so many in WV.

 

[PlainJane]

I always wondered what happened to the bus driver - shouldn't there have been four crosses anyway (even if the hooker didn't die)?

For someone who can't count, Randy Travis is very judgmental.