Skip to main content

The Peachoid

For nearly 40 years, travelers along Interstate 85 near Gaffney, South Carolina have contemplated the design of a landmark water tower at mile marker 91.  Is it a peach or does it look like someone's rear end?
The Peachoid - what does it look like to you - a baby's behind or a peach?
The Gaffney Peachoid - a 135 foot water tower - has towered over Interstate 85 in Cherokee County since 1981.  Built as a necessity for the Town of Gaffney - designed as a reminder that Cherokee County and South Carolina is the largest producer of peaches in the South (not Georgia) - the Peachoid has attracted curious travelers to stop since the day it first appeared.

At a cost of $950,000, the tower took five months to complete and holds 1,000,000 gallons of water.  Fifty gallons of paint spanning twenty different colors later, the uniquely designed water tank became a giant peach - or if you prefer, a derriere.  The tower even received an award.  The Steel Tank of the Year for 1981 by the Steel Plate Fabricators Association.  In 2015, a refurbishing project gave the Peachoid a fresh coat of paint.

The Peachoid gained even greater notoriety when it was the focal point of Season 1 - Chapter 3 of the Netflix drama, House of Cards.  The added attention unfortunately led to an increase in petty vandalism at the site (name carving in the metal, graffiti).  In turn, the Town of Gaffney erected a six foot tall security fence around The Peachoid and closed the site at night.

All photos taken by post author - March 20, 2019

Further Reading:

How To Get There:
The Peachoid is easily accessible from either Exit 90 or 92 on Interstate 85.  Peachoid Road is the frontage road that leads to the tower.  Parking can either be at the Peachoid or at the Fatz Café next door.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The 1915-era Teilman Bridge (the only known Concrete Pony Truss Bridge in California)

The Teilman Bridge is a semi-abandoned structure over Fresno Slough west of Burrell siding near the intersection of Elkhorn Avenue and Elkhorn Grade.  This structure is the only known Concrete Pony Truss Bridge constructed in California and was designed by Ingvart Teilman.  Teilman's Bridge would open in late 1915 when the Elkhorn Grade was the primary road between Fresno and Coalinga.  The structure would be replaced in 1991 but was left standing as it carries pipelines over Fresno Slough.  Part 1; the history of the Teilman Bridge In the early Twentieth Century the most direct highway between Fresno and Coalinga followed the Elkhorn Grade.  The Elkhorn Grade began at Fresno Slough a short distance west of Burrell siding.  From Fresno Slough the Elkhorn Grade followed a generally southwestern course through San Joaquin Valley into the Kettleman Hills towards Coalinga.   The Elkhorn Grade can be seen on the  1914 C.F. Weber map of Fresno Coun...

The Dummy Lights of New York

  A relic of the early days of motoring, dummy lights were traffic lights  that  were  placed  in the middle of a street intersection. In those early days, traffic shuffled through busy intersections with the help of a police officer who stood on top of a pedestal. As technology improved and electric traffic signals became commonplace, they were also  originally  positioned on a platform at the center of the intersection. Those traffic signals became known as  " dummy lights "  and were common until  traffic lights were moved  onto wires and poles that crossed above the intersection.  In New York State, only a handful of these dummy lights exist. The dummy lights  are found  in the Hudson Valley towns of Beacon and Croton-on-Hudson, plus there is an ongoing tug of war in Canajoharie in the Mohawk Valley, where their dummy light has been knocked down and replaced a few times. The dummy light in Canajoharie is currently...

Prunedale Road (Monterey County)

Prunedale Road is a short 2.6-mile-long frontage corridor of US Route 101 in the namesake Monterey County community of Prunedale.  Prior to 1932 US Route 101 bypassed Prunedale in favor of the San Juan Grade to the east.  Prunedale Road along with nearby Moro Road served as an alternative connecting highway between Salinas and San Juan Bautista.  Following the realignment of US Route 101 onto the Prunedale Cutoff the former through route along Prunedale Road would be rendered as a western frontage.   Part 1; the history of Prunedale Road Prunedale Road is located in and is named after the Monterey County community of Prunedale.  Said community was founded near the junction of San Migeul Canyon, Langley Canyon and Echo Valley.  Watsonville settler Charles Langley (namesake of Langley Canyon) was one of the prominent early community settlers.  The Prunedale Post Office would open for the first time in 1894 but would close by 1908.  Early agricu...