The World's Largest Pecan still rules the landscape outside the small town of Brunswick.
George and Elizabeth James have run their pecan farm on the outskirts of Brunswick, Missouri, for nearly 60 years. In 1982 they built a concrete replica of their patented Starking Hardy Giant pecan, a tasty strain discovered by George on the property in 1947. Today, the area is thick with pecan farms -- the Brunswick Pecan Festival is held every October.
The pecan sits in front of the Nut Hut roadside stand, their home, and a couple of outbuildings. It weighs 12,000 pounds and is 7x12 feet, visible on the north side of Rt. 24, a two-lane road paralleling occasionally busy railroad tracks. The postcard is great -- a wide angle view rendering the pecan bus-sized.
Flood damage, coupled with fading health [George died in 1998], has taken a toll on the big pecan. We visited early one summer evening; the Nut Hut was closed, but the pecan and its sign caught the bright rays of the setting sun.
An outer wall of the Nut Hut building features one of our favorite cartoon sign images: a mad, murderous hammer, with arms and legs, chasing a very sad giant pecan.
Sept. 2005: George and Elizabeth's daughter Sandy James Naylor told us the Brunswick, MO
pecan and buildings have been painted and spruced up. There are two
gifts shops there, one offering t-shirts, books, and pecan food products.The hammer's name is "Wham," and is featured in a book her brother has written -- the book measures 8 feet by 8 feet and was put on display in October...
October 2004: The giant pecan in Brunswick is reported to have been repainted and "looks great."
