Grahamland

Despite having occurred over just four days in October, I still haven't posted about everything my mom and I saw on our road trip to (and from) South of the Border. On the second day, before we reached South of the Border—and in between visiting the World's Largest Frying Pan and the World's Largest Tire—we made a slight detour around Delco, North Carolina. I had an address on my map with the note "UniRoyal Gal and fiberglass animals in yard." 

It was getting dark and we were nearing the end of our route for the day. I was eager to get to South of the Border and debated internally whether or not this mystery address was worth the detour. My mom wanted each stop to be a surprise, and although I pre-planned most of our destinations, even I wasn't exactly sure what we'd find at some of them. My mom had actually been the one to point out my first UniRoyal Gal on a road trip in 2016 and they're very rare (I saw my second in Florida last year), so I ultimately decided that even the possibility of seeing one was worth the extra drive. 

We were getting close to the address but I was confused because we were on a pretty busy road (Highway 74) and just as I was doubting my intel, we passed a house set back from the road with a yard full of fiberglass animals. It was very obviously a private residence and we debated if we should even pull into the driveway. We quickly decided to take a chance, figuring that the owner of such a whimsical collection couldn't be too upset with a mother and daughter who were on a road trip specifically to seek out such things. 

We didn't see anyone around, so we parked and got out to snap a few quick photos. I'm usually painfully shy and will avoid talking to strangers at any cost, but I was secretly hoping that the owner would see us and come out to chat about his enviable collection—one that we soon realized included not one, but two UniRoyal Gals. After a few minutes, I got my wish and we were greeted by one of the nicest men I've ever met, Hubert Graham. 

Graham introduced himself as the owner of the property, which we later learned he refers to as Grahamland. When my mom asked if he had restored the UniRoyal Gals himself, Graham said, "Oh, I made those. I have the original mold." Most of the UniRoyal Gals were made in the '60s by International Fiberglass (makers of most Muffler Men) and UniRoyal stopped using them as promotional tools in the '70s. American Giants says they know of 17 Gals, 12 of which are on display currently. The original mold somehow made its way from California to North Carolina, where Graham bought it from his mentor in the fiberglass business.

He has two completed—the beach gal and the cowgal—and has plans to make a Native American and a black woman. When the fiberglass company Graham once worked for went out of business, he bought all of their fiberglass, resin and molds. He makes every one of the fiberglass figures on his property and his girlfriend helps paint them.

Grahamland is more than just a whimsical yard—Graham has dreams to turn it into an amusement park and mini golf course. He has plans to put some of the animals on motorized bases, and envisions a seafood restaurant topped with a lighthouse, talking cars and flying horses. When we mentioned that we were on our way to South of the Border, Graham told us to look out for a dozen of his pink flamingoes. 

My mom and I were overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness of Graham, and luckily he said that he loves visitors. He even took our photo, which I later found on his Facebook page, and I instantly regretted not snapping one of him too. Unfortunately, Graham was on his way to work—he has a "real" job laying fiber optic cable—so we couldn't stay very long, but we were thankful that we caught him before the gate closed for the night. 

Later in our hotel, we read all about Graham's ambitions and fell even more in love with his vision. But even if Grahamland never fully comes to fruition, I have so much respect for people like Graham—hard-working, passionate, generous and slightly eccentric people who make the world around them a little brighter. 

World's Largest

I've seen a few things claiming to be the "World's Largest _____" in the past few years—pistachio, teapot, cuckoo clock, orange, miniature circus— and the World's Third Largest garden gnome, but on our recent road trip we added several hyperbolic items to that list. I'm wary of anything claiming a "world's -est" title, but even if none of these things are actually record-holders in an official Guinness Book sense, they're still larger than they should be and make for interesting road trip stops. 

The World's Largest Real Tire

This particular largest thing comes with a qualifier (as a lot of them do) that it's the world's largest permanently displayed real tire. The giant tire sits outside of Hester Tire in Blandenboro, North Carolina, and fits the world's largest dump truck, according to its owner, Reynold Hester. It is 14 feet high, 5.5 feet wide and weighs 10,400 pounds. This one seems pretty legit, and in fact the only tire that is actually larger is the Uniroyal Giant Tire, which isn't a real tire at all but a Ferris wheel designed for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. It's currently displayed off of a highway in Michigan and hopefully it'll be the next big tire that I get to cross off my list. 

The World's Largest Beer Stein

I happened across this while browsing one of South of the Border's several gift shops, and I can't find much information as to its authenticity. I did, however find this company selling what they claim to be the world's largest stein for $6,205—they look very similar, but the one at South of the Border can be yours for the low price of $3,500. I don't care much about beer steins, but I love its wooden display case and the hand-painted script lettering.

The World's Largest Strawberry

This should probably be called the world's largest strawberry-shaped building. The world record for largest real strawberry was broken in 2015 (ew) and the world's largest sculptural strawberry is located, fittingly, in Strawberry Point, Iowa. The Berry Patch in Ellerbe, North Carolina is a small strawberry farm, and the strawberry-shaped ice cream stand is 24-feet-tall and took five months to complete. In 2011, the construction of a new highway forced the owners of the Berry Patch to load the strawberry onto a truck and drive it to its current location. We used their bathroom (which was a single restroom with, confusingly, two toilets) but ultimately found their selection of strawberry-themed items a bit disappointing for a place that has the domain name worldslargeststrawberry.com.

The World's Largest Bureau / Chest of Drawers

High Point, North Carolina, aka the "Home Furnishings Capital of the World," has not one, but two large chests of drawers. I had to make a Sophie's Choice and pick just one, and the one above was closer to our route (mom included for scale). In the 1920s, the original chest of drawers was built by the Chamber of Commerce. In 1996 it was renovated and turned into a 38-foot tall Goddard-Townsend block front chest. Two socks are stuck hanging out of the middle drawer, although they were partially covered when we visited by a sign proclaiming that the chest of drawers is ... for sale! For just $249,000 you can get three lots, including the chest, but the "have demo quote, can handle if needed" makes me nervous for the fate of this roadside gem. 

The World's Largest Operational Frying Pan

Like the big tire, this is the world's largest operational frying pan—there are at least five other frying pans in the US vying for the title of largest, including largest nonstick frying pan. This one, located in Rose Hill, North Carolina (I just realized that all of these, with the exception of the beer stein, are in North Carolina) weighs two tons, has a circumference of 45 feet and a six-foot handle. It holds 200 gallons of cooking oil, sits on 40 gas burners and has a capacity of 365 chickens. It was built in 1963 by the Ramsey Feed Company and is used during the North Carolina poultry jubilee as well as community fundraising events. It's so large that it's actually constructed of several separate wedges, and it's covered when not in use—without the signage (including light pole banners all over town) I might have never guessed that the tarp was concealing a world-record holder. 

Shell Station

My love of novelty architecture knows no bounds, and I knew I had to figure out a way to see the last remaining clamshell-shaped Shell gas station on our recent road trip through North Carolina. The Shell station was so important to me, that it dictated the route for the second half of our trip, and although it was a quick stop it was definitely worth seeing in person. 

Eight clamshell-shaped stations were originally built in the 1930s by Quality Oil, a Winston-Salem based distributor of Shell oil. The stations were made of concrete stucco over a wood and wire frame, similar to the Big Duck. The last remaining station is located in a residential neighborhood in Winston-Salem, and it remained open as a gas station until the '50s. In the '70s and '80s it was repurposed as a lawn mower repair shop and restored in the '90s by Preservation North Carolina. Today it's used as an office and information center by the society, but it was closed when we visited. 

I logically understand why buildings like this often become obsolete, but they're just so charming and whimsical I can't help but wish that novelty architecture would make a comeback. Life can get monotonous and boring—all phone calls and paperwork—but novelty architecture rebels against that reality and presents an alternative. Very few people would say that stopping to fill up their car brings them joy, but it would be hard not to smile when you're pulling up to a giant clamshell. 

Bonus whimsy! After we saw the clamshell, my mom and stopped for lunch at a Dairi-O, located in nearby King, NC. Dairi-O started serving hamburgers and milkshakes out of a stand in King in 1947, and the location currently has a giant milkshake (with two straws!) for its entrance. When we pulled up, there was this perfect, vintage car parked out front and we assumed that it was always there—until two customers finished their meals, got in and drove away right after I took this photo.

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Shell Station
1111 E Sprague Street
Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27107

Dairi-O
365 East Dalton Road
King, North Carolina 27021

White Plains Baptist Church Cemetery

By the third day of our recent road trip, my mom had correctly guessed a few of our "surprise" stops. Mostly she'd guess "Muffler Man?" or "something big?" which were both very good guesses, if you know what kind of roadside stops I tend to favor. As we were driving through rural, northwest North Carolina my mom correctly guessed that our next stop was a cemetery. I'm the world's worst liar/actress, so I didn't try to pretend she wasn't right, but I did tell her that she would never be able to guess who was buried at our destination.

When we pulled up to the White Plains Baptist Church, in Mount Airy, North Carolina, the surprise was prematurely revealed by a historical marker outside of the church, declaring it to be the burial place of Chang and Eng Bunker. Born in 1811, near Bangkok in the Kingdom of Siam (modern-day Thailand), the brothers were connected at the chest by a small piece of cartilage. Their livers were fused, but their bodies functioned independently from one another. In 1829, they were spotted by a Scottish merchant, who paid their parents in exchange for allowing him to exhibit the twins around the world as a curiosity.

The term "Siamese Twins" has been replaced by the more PC (and scientifically descriptive) "conjoined twins," and if Chang and Eng were born today they would have been easily separated and perhaps gone on to lead very different lives. While touring the country in 1839, Chang and Eng fell in love with North Carolina and purchased a 110-acre farm in Traphill. They owned several slaves, married local sisters and became naturalized American citizens. They had a bed built for the four of them, and Chang fathered 12 children, while Eng fathered 10 or possibly 11.

In 1874, Chang died in his sleep of a cerebral blood clot and despite the fact that Eng was in good health otherwise, he died just three hours later (probably of shock). The twins share a headstone with their wives and it's estimated that there are still approximately 1,500 descendants of the twins living around Mount Airy today. The churchyard is full of Bunkers, including two sons who were Confederate soldiers in the Civil War and a grandson, who fought in World War I.

The church and cemetery are built on a hill with a picturesque view, and it's small but filled with wonderful old, mossy stones and statues. It's a beautiful place to spend eternity, and I hope the twins found the peace in death that seemed to elude them in life.

Muffler Man: White's Tire

For this edition of Muffler Man Monday, you get two for the price of one! When my mom agreed to take this road trip with me, she knew that our main destination was South of the Border, but she asked that I keep all of the other stops a surprise. I personally hate surprises but I do love being in control, so it was really fun to be able to experience her anticipation without any of the anxiety of not knowing where we were headed. After seeing a few Muffler Men, that became her first guess for every stop, but even when she was right, she was always surprised by the different types (and to be honest, after planning so many stops, so was I). 

Both men are at White's Tire locations, exactly a mile apart in Wilson, North Carolina. The first Muffler Man stands on top of the roof, at a location that is currently closed and for sale. I'm glad that the Muffler Man is still standing so that we were able to see him, but I wonder if he will be sold along with the building or moved to one of White's other locations. He looks slightly different than other Muffler Men we've seen but I'm not sure if that's because of his paint job or his stubby legs.

The second Muffler Man is at a much larger location that is very much still in business. He is definitely more traditional than the first, and obviously well-maintained. He also holds a tire in his hand, and I think it's funny that the shear size of these giants make normal-sized tires appear as if they're almost miniature.

He's waving to traffic and potential customers, but my mom pointed out that he sort of also looks like he might be doing a Nazi salute? Maybe it's just the current (garbage) political climate or the pairing with "White's Tire" but now this arm style has been sort of tainted for me. I wish they could somehow be modified to look more like the Muffler Man at Trader's World, who is sporting a much friendlier wave. 

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White's Tire Muffler Man #1
740 Goldsboro Street SW
Wilson, North Carolina
Location closed and for sale, but Muffler Man still visible

White's Tire Muffler Man #2
701 Hines Street S
Wilson, North Carolina
Location is open and Muffler Man is easily accessible

Muffler Man: Bunyan + Babe

Next up on the roster of Muffler Man we saw on our recent road trip is one of the Paul Bunyan varieties. This dapper lumberjack once stood outside of Stan the Tire Man in Salem, Illinois, but was moved to Battleboro, North Carolina in 2007. While in Illinois, he was accompanied by a UniRoyal Gal but she was sold and moved to California when Stan the Tire Man closed in 2015.

After he was moved to NC, this Bunyan traded his Gal for a Babe—Babe the Blue Ox, from the Paul Bunyan legend. The first Muffler Man I ever saw was a Bunyan-type at the Magic Forest, in Lake George, NY and I've seen a few more of the style since. Even though the thing I love most about Muffler Men is their ability to be customized and that they all look different as a result, the Bunyan is what I think of when I think of the quintessential Muffler Man.

This gentleman is wearing a knit cap and holding an axe—similar to the World's Fair giant we saw, also in Lake George—but I can't for the life of me figure out what is in Babe's mouth (my mom said, "is that an e-cigarette?"). They stand guard over the Original Log Cabin Homes sales center, and you can see them best while driving south on 1-95. We parked and walked right up to them, and although no one said anything to us, we did see a lady come out of the office ... and walk back inside when she realized we were more interested in Bunyan and Babe than in purchasing a log cabin home. 

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Original Log Cabin Homes
7677 N Halifax Road
Battleboro, NC 27809
A little tricky to get to, but no one seemed to mind us walking through the property

Hills of Snow

We didn't see any Twistee Treats on our recent road trip, but we did eat a snowball served to us out of a building shaped like one, and it was a definite trip highlight. Hills of Snow, located in Smithfield, North Carolina, doesn't actually call their confections "snow cones," but just, "snow."

Opened in 1984 by Tom Hill (hence the name), the Hills of Snow building wasn't always shaped like it is now. It was originally just a regular structure, but a few years after opening, Hill personally built the snowball-and-cup-shaped building. There are also two smaller, mobile versions that sit in the parking lot behind the Big Ball (the family's name for the main structure) when they're not on the move.

I am literally never happier than when I'm eating or buying something from a building shaped like what it sells. I am absolutely obsessed with novelty architecture and I've managed to see a lot of the greats recently: Lucy the Elephant, the Big Duck, the Longaberger Basket, Orange World and—on this same trip—the Haines Shoe House and a Shell Gas Station. Hills of Snow probably isn't as well-known or historical as some of the others, but I love when people are clearly passionate about their products and don't take life too seriously.

The "snow" that you get from Hills of Snow is lighter, softer and fluffier than traditional shaved ice or granular snow cones. All of the syrups are made onsite—when they first opened they offered 20 flavors but now advertise 101 different choices. They serve "snow creams" (topped with sweetened condensed milk) and seasonal flavors, but I went with my standard lemon/cherry combo. It was delicious on its own, but even more so because it came from a building shaped like itself.