World's Largest Apple

Winchester, Virginia

Civil War General Phil Sheridan used an antebellum mansion in Winchester as his headquarters, and this big statue of an apple just happens to be on the front lawn. It saw service as a parade float in the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival before being permanently positioned here, off the town square. The juxtaposition has always struck us as odd.

All the old postcards of the big apple and the HQ make no mention of the apple. There's a picture of this house with a big red apple in the front yard, and all the vellum cards describe is how Sheridan stayed there while he rallied his men at Cedar Creek battlefield.

Sheridan's HQ is now a fancy gift shop, and the town has conducted at least one giant apple community art project, spreading fiberglass versions through the area. So the original big fruit may be getting even less acknowledgment -- but it still looks good enough to eat.