One Big Ass Peach!

The Peachoid (aka. "The Moon over Gaffney")
as seen from Interstate 85 northbound in Gaffney, SC.

On my way back from visiting the SC Comic Con last weekend, my brother Alex and I took Interstate 85 north as part of our route homeward. 

On the way we stopped to snap a photo of one of Upstate South Carolina's most uniquely recognizable landmarks and an excellent example of novelty architecture - the Gaffney Peachoid.

Located in Cherokee County, in the town of Gaffney, South Carolina, between exits 90 and 92 near the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway (SC 11), the Peachoid is a 135 foot tall (41 meters) water tower usually referred to by local residents as "The Peach". 

 

The Peachoid was built in 1981 and shaped like a peach to represent the fact that the local economy was once dependent on peach orchards. At one time, Cherokee County, South Carolina along produced more peaches per year than the entire State of Georgia (which is known as "The Peach State"). Peaches still play a big part in the economy and agricultural heritage of that part of South Carolina today.

The water tower itself holds a whopping one million gallons (3.8 million liters) of water. WOW!

Since its construction, the Gaffney Peachoid has introduced an element of tourism to the local economy. The Peachoid is highly visible and can be seen from several miles away when one travels southbound on I-85 from the South Carolina border, particularly in winter months when the trees are leafless. 

Passing motorists lovingly refer to the Gaffney Peachoid as: "Mr. Peach" and "The Moon over Gaffney" - while others simply call it the "Big Orange Butt" because....well, for obvious reasons depending on what angle one views it. 

This landmark serves not only as just another unique and artistic example of our shared Southern heritage and how we honor our past and traditions in various ways down here in the Carolinas, but also as a somewhat amusing example of Americana.  

Every time I drive by it on a trip to that part of the State, I always smile whenever I see it; largely because my earliest memory of the Peachoid involved a family trip to North Carolina when I was about nine. My grandpa pointed it out to me and my sister, Olivia, (then seven) who laughed and said, "That's one big ass peach!" 

Even though my sister got a swat on her own butt for using what was then a no-no word (not a bad swat, but she sold it like it was) I could not help but think then, as I do now, that she was right. It is indeed One Big Ass Peach!