| Land of the Giants |
| UNCLE SAMS |
| Uncle Sam 23 Fuel Stop Ottawa Lake, MI |
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Since 1992, the Michigan Uncle Sam has been at the 23 Fuel Stop, a gas station/fireworks place. He was originally installed at an Uncle Sam's restaurant in Toledo, OH. When the restaurant chain folded and changed names, this statue was painted to look like Abraham Lincoln. Later, he was briefly painted black when he was owned by a septic tank dealer. In 2001, this 42' tall statue got a new coat of paint as part of Hampton Inns' Save-a-Landmark program. According to this article, there were three of these giant statues created in Wisconsin in the mid-1960s for the chain. However, I have my doubts since there are size and style differences between the various statues. Not mentioned in the article is the Magic Forest Uncle Sam in Lake George, NY. If anyone has more information about these statues, I'd love to provide a more coherent history. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Uncle Sam Hatch, NM |
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The Hatch Uncle Sam stood in front of Spencer's Antiques in Waynesville, OH when the top photos were taken in 2005. The statue is supposedly only 24' tall - half the size of the one in Michigan described above. In 2006, he was sold on eBay for $10,000 and moved to Hatch, NM. The statue laid on its back in an empty lot (bottom photo) until shortly after this photo was taken in 2009. He now stands next to Sparky's restaurant which has two A&W figures on the roof. The owner, Teaku Nunn, also operates the Franciscan RV dealership where he displays a Muffler Man and a Mama Burger.
These Uncle Sams may have been the inspiration for the smaller Corey gas station attendant statues. |
| Uncle Sam All-American Car Wash Evansville, IN |
Uncle Sam's Bingo Port Erie, ON |
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The Evansville Uncle Sam stands in front of an All-American Car Wash. He is raised up on stilts for better view-ability. I believe this type of Uncle Sam was manufactured originally for this car wash chain. However, they may have instead come from a hamburger chain. There were also two of these guys in Vincennes, IN (at All-American car washes) but they have both disappeared.
The Fort Erie Uncle Sam is installed on the roof of Uncle Sam's Bingo. |
| Uncle Sam U.S. 30 Fireworks Convoy, OH |
Uncle Sam Iron Trail Motors Virginia, MN |
Uncle Sam Great American Car Wash Terre Haute, IN |
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The Minnesota Uncle Sam stands at a car dealership while the Ohio Uncle Sam is used to advertise fireworks. They appear to be from the same mold and may have been part of a fireworks chain. For more photos of the Minnesota Uncle Sam, see these websites: 1 and 2.
The Terre Haute Uncle Sam stands on the roof of the Great American Car Wash. I haven't seen one like this before but I imagine it was mass-produced for this car wash chain. I don't know if the Great American Car Wash was a competitor of the All-American Car Wash or if one split off from the other. If they were two different companies, perhaps they used different Uncle Sams? For more, see this website. |
| Uncle Sams Indianapolis, IN |
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| There are two Uncle Sams at the Eastgate Chrysler Plymouth Jeep dealership - one much larger than the other (the smaller is the fourth photo above). For more, see this website. |
| Uncle Sam Clarksville, TN |
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| The Clarksville Uncle Sam lays on his back behind the Top Dollar Pawn Shop. They have owned him for a number of years and continue to offer him for sale. The last I heard, they wanted over $10,000 for him. In 2006, when the business relocated in town, they brought him along. |
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