Today ended an era in Coal Region history: Visitors to Frackville gliding off of Interstate 81 were greeted by Granny. For better or worse, the Pioneer Woman held her mighty baked pie while she was being clenched by a fearful looking child with a toy that had its head broken off…
Tonight, this first Saturday night where Granny has been removed from her location she remained at for decades, is a lonely night.
She’s gone…
The destination: Somewhere.
As a matter of fact, the mystery behind where she goes next is profound! One would think a local antique collector, perhaps a coal region history junkie, or even a member of the Knoebels family would have taken her for safe keeping and display! (Knoebels has the coal miner from the Schuylkill Mall, after all!)
But we don’t quite know yet. Rumors say perhaps Emmaus. Perhaps someone’s yard..
For a bit of time today, after Granny was removed from her placeholder, she toured Frackville. We posted our lament of her untimely passing on Facebook and at least one commenter took a selfie with Granny outside the thrift store in Frackville.
THE BEACON OF THE COAL REGION WITH MANLY SHOES
It was a sight to be behold!
As a matter of fact, Granny’s Motel statue of the woman became nationally known! It made Roadside America travel websites.. It even was showcased twice in Weird Pennsylvania, first back when she was green and then again when she was re-painted around the mid-2000s..
A reminder of what she looked like green:
The green… even weirder.. even creepier..
Those who were able to see it in person through the years can count their blessings. It was the time-honored relic of … something. What, we don’t quite know. But something, for sure.
THE HISTORY
This one was tough!
While so often, it is simple to find historical references to major events or locations in varied sources. This time, we are flying blind.
Though Granny became a destination point for people searching the country for “oddities,” no one quite knew why she was there. A review of Google ratings and other websites for what people thought of Granny’s Motel is something to behold in itself.. ““Smelly rooms dirty mildew needs to be shut down and remodel would not reccomend”“
“Friendly staff, no beer, great toilets”
“Unless you are simply looking for the cheapest room in town, AVOID this place!”
But where did this statue come from, and why was it in Frackville!
So we do know this from verbal historic accounts: The Pioneer Mom statue was reportedly created for the Pot-O-Gold Diner in Hamburg but was installed at its current location when the diner closed its doors. Originally green and white, the figures were repainted a “happier” orange and gold in 2007.
But where did she come from!?
RABBIT HOLE OF GIANT STATUES
As we explored deeper into the roots of the Frackville Granny, or Pioneer Woman, or just Pie Woman for short, we discovered a rabbit hole of information we never, ever knew existed.. until now.
There have been a number of weird statues outside of restaurants or hotels across the nation for decades. They have become famous, accounted for in books or blogs in the modern era, and still tourist attractions–just like Granny–to this day.
Dolly Dimples was at Pat’s Drive-in, now closed, in Silver Creek NY..
The Colonial Coney Island was in Flint Michigan and had the “Giant Waitress.” It is now closed…
This bronze statue of Princess Noccalula is a memorial to a legendary Indian maiden. She jumped to her death in these falls when her father forbid her to marry the man she loved. And now she stands outside the Crossroads Apartments in Erksine, Minnesota.
So Granny has good company..
BUT WHO MADE GRANNY!?
Now that she has been removed from her perch high above Frackville’s 81 interchange, we ponder who would lament the passing of Granny.. who will weep for her into the darkness of the night..
There are several websites that attribute Granny to Rod Shutt. While we cannot find historical evidence to pinpoint him to be the exact artist, some of Shutt’s other work may be key in determining if he was the artist responsible.
Meet Amos. Amos was designed by Rod Shutt, and he stood in front of Zinn’s Diner in Denver PA until 2003.. Zinn’e became the Lyndon Diner III and Amos was donated to the Heritage Center of Lancaster County.
This is the Dutch Boy. He stood in front of Dempsey’s Dutch Country restaurants. In the early 1970s he was installed at the company’s restaurant in the Reading, PA area. The Dutch Boy is now displayed during the Kutztown Folk Festival..
Those driving down Route I83 may recognize our next Shutt creation: The York Barbell Man, who heroically stands to this day.
The York Barbell Man sign is located alongside I-83. The statue revolves on a platform. It is 7 1/2 feet tall and was built to look like the company’s founder, Bob Hoffman. York Barbell has been around since 1932. This statue was created in the 1960s or 1970s by Rod Shutt ..
WHO WAS ROD SHUTT?
Perhaps the most important man in the historic of creepy restaurant statues. that’s who!
But who was he, really..
The Lancaster NEW ERA delved deep into Shutt’s career back on July 31, 1964..
IN its reporting, then reporter Bob Reehling wrote that Shutt quit his “air conditioned office in the Empire State Building for the solitude of Strasburg give years ago with little more than an idea about how he wanted to make a living.”
Shutt was bored with the company routine. He told the newspaper “It was that simple. I thought I could do something more interesting and rewarding on my own.”
So his idea was to create a “valuable advertising service for my customer.”
He went on to rent a small building in Strasburg, Lancaster County, and started work on a 15-foot-tall Amish man. His tools were heavy gauge chicken wire and plastic coated fabric.
After Shutt made Amos for Zinn’s Diner, customers from all over the United States began to request his services for giant statues.
So he probably, most likely, made Granny… And we thank him and honor him for his service to the coal region.
NOW WHAT
She’s gone… Granny has left the building.
We don’t know where we goes next–after her brief rendezvous at the thrift store.. But we will have the memories.. Those strange and creepy memories.
I recall people who I knew from other locations wanting to drive past Granny, or have me take them to her, only because they heard about her on various websites of creepy roadside attractions…
But we won’t have Granny anymore.
Until we meet again, Granny..
Rest in peace, but not in pieces.
