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Pingree Grove, Illinois: Giant Colonial Soldier and Wooden Chair (Gone)

18-ft tall wooden Colonial soldier sat in an equally large rocking chair, rifle across his lap. Officially named "The Unknown Soldier," carved from oak tree in 1976 by furniture store owner Andrew Pakan, who wanted an occupant in the giant rocking chair he'd also carved. Disassembled July 23, 2014; moved to nearby town; repairs underway in 2020.

Directions:
The chair stood next to the Noble Carrot Co-Op. On the southbound side of Reinking Rd, a half-mile north of its intersection with US Hwy 20/Oak St.
Hours:
April 2020: Gone
Status:
Gone

Visitor Tips and News About Giant Colonial Soldier and Wooden Chair

Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.

Huge Wooden Colonial Guy's Chair

I went there on Oct. 8, 2017 and all that was there was the chair. From what it looked like, it may have been damaged in the storm that went through a month or two ago.

[Ronni A., 10/10/2017]

Colonial guy.

Huge Wooden Colonial Guy

A Kickstarter campaign has started for this gentle giant. He sat proudly for many years in St. Charles and he is beginning a new chapter in Pingree Grove. Please consider helping by visiting his Kickstarter site before Aug. 29, 2014.

[Clint Carey, 07/18/2014]

The Huge Wooden Colonial Guy was recently sold, and plans are in the works to restore him and move him to a new home in a nearby town.

Huge Wooden Colonial Guy

According to a news report in the Kane County Chronicle, the Huge Wooden Colonial Guy will be moving to a new home in a few weeks. The owners of its current home, a furniture store, are retiring. They sold the Guy to another local business owner, who intends to restore it and set it up outside his barn/store in 2015. The new owner, Wyman "Clint" Carey, may also launch a Kickstarter campaign to help defray the cost of restoring The Huge Wooden Colonial Guy, who is almost 40 years old and 18 feet high. His head alone weighs 650 pounds.

[Jon Morgan, 06/30/2014]
Huge Wooden Colonial Guy

The owners of the Huge Wooden Colonial Guy, and the furniture store behind it, are selling the store and want someone to take their big man. He's 18 feet tall, holds a 14-foot-long musket, and comes with his own rocking chair. According to local news reports, owners Carolyn and Dick Pakan of Custom Furniture will be selling their business "soon" and want to find a responsible owner for their wooden mascot, or he'll end up in the local dump. Prospective buyers will have to bring their own truck and a crane.

[RoadsideAmerica.com Team, 04/08/2014]

Big Colonial Guy.

Huge Wooden Colonial Guy

He looks freshly painted to me. Al Capone's hideaway is around the corner.

[Amber Larson, 10/20/2010]

After decades of weather and rot (he'd been carved for the 1976 Bicentennial), the 18-ft. tall seated Revolutionary War soldier was recently restored for optimal patriotic effect.


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