LEAH ANSEL
AUG 1, 2014
The saying might be “everything’s bigger in Texas,” but Illinois has got some pretty big stuff too. In fact, there are several of the world’s largest objects in Illinois, such as the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle and World’s Largest Covered Wagon. Additionally, one of Illinois’ creepiest cemeteries is home to the largest stained glass window in the world, and Fermilab hosts the World’s Largest Electromagnet. Scroll down to see the remainder of world’s largest objects that live in Illinois.
World’s Largest Catsup Bottle- Collinsville
The World’s Largest Catsup Bottle is located next to Route 159 and is slightly south of Collinsville, Illinois. The Catsup Bottle is the tallest in the world, standing at 170 feet on top of a water tower. The monument was built in 1949 for the G.S. Suppiger catsup bottling plant and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. The monument was put on the market on July 21, 2014 for an asking price of $500,000.
World’s Largest Set of Wind Chimes- Casey
The world’s largest set of wind chimes, along with Casey’s two other “world’s largest” objects, were created by Jim Bolin. The longest chime stands forty two feet tall and the entire structure is over fifty five feet tall and weighs about 16,900 pounds.
World’s Largest Man- Alton
Topping out at 8 feet, 11.1 inches and weighing in at 490 pounds, Robert Pershing Wadlow was the world’s tallest documented man. Although he was born a normal size, Wadlow began growing soon after he was born. At 18 months old, Wadlow was 30 pounds, and at age 13, he was the world’s tallest boy scout, standing at 7 feet 4 inches. Wadlow’s growth is attributed to pituitary gigantism, when the pituitary gland is overactive and releases and excess of human growth hormone. Wadlow died of an infected blister on his foot at the age of 22. In 1985, a bronze statue of Wadlow was constructed at the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine.
Robert Wadlow, the world’s tallest documented man, was 8 feet 11.1 inches tall
World’s Largest Horseshoe- Martinsville
The world’s largest horseshoe, at over 5 feet tall, 5 feet 8 inches wide, and over 4 feet thick, resides at the Martinsville fairgrounds in Martinsville. The horseshoe also weighs 1,144.2 pounds. It was added to the Guinness Book of World Records in 2013 and is patterned from a real horseshoe and is proportional in size.
World’s Largest Electromagnet- Batavia
In June 2013, the world’s largest electromagnet traveled from Brookhaven Laboratory in New York to Fermilab in Batavia. The magnet floated down the East Coast to the Gulf of Mexico, where it floated up the Mississippi river until it reached Illinois. Once in Illinois, the magnet traveled to Batavia via a truck traveling 5 to 15 miles per hour. The magnet was constructed by Brookhaven scientists in the 1990s and is made of aluminum and steel with supercoils inside.
World’s Largest Water Treatment Plant- Chicago
The James W. Jardine Water Treatment Plant, located near Navy Pier in Chicago, is the largest water purification plant in the world. The plant, which processes over a billion gallons of water per day, serves nearly 5 million customers in Chicago and 118 suburbs. It takes 7 hours and multiple steps for the plant to fully purify the water.
World’s Largest Stained Glass Tiffany Dome- Chicago
The dome at the Chicago Cultural Center, at nearly 38 feet in diameter and spanning 1,000 square feet, is the largest Tiffany glass dome in the world. The dome was installed in 1897 and is made of 30,000 pieces of Tiffany Favrile glass cut into the shape of fish scales.
The Tiffany Dome at the Chicago Cultural Center is the largest in the world, covering roughly 1,000 square feet.
World’s Largest Stained Glass Window- Justice
The mausoleum at the Resurrection Cemetery has the largest stained glass window in the world. The window spans 22,381 square feet and contains 2,448 panels.
World’s Largest Ice Cream Cone Factory- Chicago
The Keebler Ice Cream Cone Factory at 10839 S. Langley Avenue is the largest ice cream cone factory in the world. The plant has 28 ovens which bake over 3 million ice cream cones daily. In 2001, Kellogg Co. bought Keebler, but kept the brand name and the Chicago plant.
World’s Largest Knitting Needles and Crochet Hook- Casey
The World’s Largest Knitting Needles and Crochet Hook are located in The Yarn Studio in Casey, Illinois. The knitting needles are each just over 13 feet long and weigh 25 pounds each, while the crochet hook is just over 6 feet long and weighs 9 pounds. In order for Guinness to confirm the record, store owner Jeanette Huisinga had to knit and crochet a piece of material 10 stitches x 10 stitches. The knitting needles and crochet hook, along with Casey’s two other “world’s largest” objects, were created by Jim Bolin, co-owner of Bolin Enterprises, Inc.
The World’s Largest Knitting Needles are located in Chester, Illinois, along with the World’s Largest Golf Tee and the World’s Largest Windchimes
World’s Largest Cookie and Cracker Factory- Chicago
The Nabisco factory located at 7300 South Kedzie in Chicago is the largest in the world. In 1995, Nabisco made 1.5 billion oreos at this factory alone. However, the Chicago factory might soon lose its claim to fame, as plans to build a larger cookie factory are under way in Mexico.
World’s Largest Commercial Building- Chicago
Located in the heart of Chicago, Merchandise Mart, at 4.2 million square feet, is the largest commercial building in the world. Merchandise Mart was built in 1931 by the Marshall Field Company and originally housed the company’s wholesale and manufacturing tenants. The building was purchased by Joseph P. Kennedy in 1945 and was sold to Vornado Realty Trust in 1998. Today, Merchandise Mart is home to many showroom and office tenants and has a variety of amenities, including a CTA “El” station on the second floor, a full service health club, a post office and a personal wifi network spanning 1 million square feet.
Merchandise Mart, located along the Chicago River, is the largest commercial building in the world.
World’s Largest Golf Tee- Casey
Located at the Casey Country Club, the World’s Largest Golf Tee stands over 30 feet tall and has a head diameter of 6.26 feet and a shaft diameter of 2.1 feet. Additionally, the tee weighs roughly 6,660 pounds and is held together by 60 gallons of glue and 120 pounds of screws. According to the city of Casey’s website, there are plans to place an 18 foot diameter golf ball on top of the tee and allow country club visitors to tee off from inside it. The golf tee, along with Casey’s two other “world’s largest” objects, was created by Jim Bolin, co-owner of Bolin Enterprises, Inc.
World’s Largest Abraham Lincoln Statue- Ashmore
The World’s Largest Statue of Abraham Lincoln stands 72 feet tall and was built in 1969 to mark the 110th anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates. After the campground that housed the giant statue closed in 1996, the Lincoln statue began to fall into disrepair and earned the nickname “The World’s Ugliest Lincoln.” In 2002, the campground property changed ownership and became a family resort, and Lincoln was restored. Lincoln now stands at the entrance of the campground along with “Abe’s Gardens,” a collection of mini Abraham Lincoln statues that show him at various stages of his life.
The World’s Largest Statue of Abraham Lincoln is located in “Abe’s Garden” in Ashlmore, Illinois and is 72 feet tall.
World’s Largest Laundromat- Berwyn
The World’s Largest Laundromat, located in Berwyn, hosts more than just laundry machines (although they have a total of 301, which is four times more than average laundromats). The laundromat has many entertainment options for its customers, including a children’s play area with a clown, coloring books and crayons, a bird aviary, free food, 16 flat-screen TVs, a wall of video games, a wifi and internet cafe, and more. Additionally, the building has 36 solar panels on the roof to heat the water and “express” dryers that dry clothing faster.
World’s Largest Covered Wagon- Lincoln
David Bentley built the World’s Largest Covered Wagon out of Illinois oak and steel in 2001 while he was recovering from heart disease. In 2007, Bentley sold the wagon to the Tourism Bureau of Logan County for $10,000, and the Bureau moved it to its current location, off of Route 66 in Lincoln. The wagon is 40 feet long, 12 feet wide, 24 feet tall and weighs around 5 tons. A 12 foot, 350 pound fiberglass Abraham Lincoln sits atop the wagon.
World’s Largest Radio Flyer Wagon- Elmwood Park
To celebrate its 80th anniversary, Radio Flyer created a wagon 9 times larger than the original. The giant wagon is 27 feet long, 13 feet wide and 8 feet in diameter and was inspired by the 45 foot tall “Coaster Boy” wagon at the 1933 World’s Fair.
The World’s Largest Radio Flyer Wagon, located in Elmwood Park, is 9 times the size of the original.
NEXT: 21 Illinois city slogans, nicknames and mottos.
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- 31 Illinois historic sites to visit this summer
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- 10 creepy Illinois roads to travel… if you’re brave enough
Leah is a summer intern at Reboot Illinois and is a rising second year student at the University of Chicago majoring in public policy.