Big John - The Farnham Colossi - Unger
The Farnham family estate is located in Unger, WV. George Farnham was once a lawyer in Washington D.C. One day he decided to quit the job and started collecting things and selling them over the Internet. At first it was just comic books, old calendars and rather smaller collectibles.
Then Pam Farnham, his wife, quit their job and the two have since lived on the estate in West Virginia.
George was obsessed with finding a huge fiberglass dinosaur to install in his garden. While looking for this dino, they came across a Muffler Man, which they bought instead.
The almost 27ft high figure from California had to be shipped to West Virginia. The shipping costs three times more than the fibergalss sculpture itself.
Over the years, a “Beach Dude” from Cincinnati was added – so big that two platform trucks were required to move it.
This was followed by a Big John (supermarket giant) from Illinois, a hamburger, a Santa, a Boo-Boo bear, a Cindy bear, a Forest Ranger, an Uniroyal Gal, another Paul Bunyan and much more.
An inoperable roller coaster with five carriages – with the Simpson family on board – was also built there.
There are approximately two dozen objects in total on the property. All of these monumental fiberglass figures once served as marketing tricks to attract customers to small businesses along America’s streets and highways. Most were originally built in the 1960s.
Name of the Roadside Attraction: | Big John - Farnhams |
Parking: | in front |
Time required: | 1-2 hours |
Descripton: | Big John Supermarkt Giant - a part of a private collection |
Next town: | Winchester, VA |
Findable: | easy - next to the road (but a bit in the middle of nowhere) |
Fee area: | no fee |
Giftshop: | no |
Food or drinks: | no |
Kind of attraction: | Muffler Man (Big John) |
Best time to vistit: | all year |
Address: | 14633 Winchester Grade Rd, Unger, WV 25411 |
Directions: | From Winchester take 522 North. Turn right on Hwy 694/600 (Reynolds Road) |
Opening Hours: | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Appointment) it's on private land |
Last visited: | September 2019 |