Big Red Apple (sculpture in Cornelia, Georgia, 1926-present)
Several regions of North America have been billed as a “Land of the Big (Red) Apple.” Cornelia, Georgia has an apple monument that reads:
“HOME
OF THE
BIG RED
APPLE
HABERSHAM
COUNTY
GEORGIA”
The concrete and steel apple monument was installed in June 1926, next to Cornelia’s depot for the Southern Railway. The apple is seven feet high and has a circumference of 22 feet.
Similar “Big Apple” roadside attractions include a “Big Apple” that was in Wathena, Kansas (1928-1940), a “Big Apple” kiosk in Mumbles, Swansea Bay, Wales (1930s-present), a “Big Apple” at Robinette’s Apple Haus in Grand Rapids, Michigan (1973-present), a “Big Apple” tourist information booth in Meaford, Ontario, Canada (1974-present), a “Big Apple” in Thulimbah, Queensland, Australia (1978-present), a “Big Apple” in Colborne, Ontario, Canada (1987-present), a “Big Apple” at the Big Apple Cafe & Event Centre in Waitomo Caves, New Zealand (1995-present), a “Big Apple” in Medina, New York (2000-present), a “Big Apple” at the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan (2008-present), “La Mela Reintegrata” or “The Apple Made Whole Again” at Central Station in Milan, Italy (2015-present) and the “Big Apple of New England” at the Johnny Appleseed Visitors Center in Lancaster, Massachusetts (2019-present).
Wikipedia: Cornelia, Georgia
Cornelia is a city in Habersham County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,160 at the 2010 census, up from 3,674 at the 2000 census. It is home to one of the world’s largest apple sculptures, which is displayed on top of an obelisk-shaped monument.
(...)
The Big Red Apple
Cornelia’s Big Red Apple, located at the old train depot in downtown, pays homage to the apple and apple growers of the county. Built of steel and concrete in 1925, the statue, according to Habersham County, weighs 5,200 pounds (2.4 t) and is 7 feet (2.1 m) high. (...) A recent renovation has brought the depot back to life, and the quiet Big Red Apple is the focal point of a yearly festival held the first week in October and a 5K road race held at the end of October.
Explore Georgia
THE BIG RED APPLE MONUMENT
A monument to the Big Red Apple stands on the old railway station grounds in Cornelia. The replica of the North Georgia apple is seven feet high and has a circumference of 22 feet. The 5,200-pound monument is dedicated to apple growers and how important the apple industry once was to Cornelia and Habersham County. The monument is constructed of steel and concrete and was molded in Winchester, Virginia, in 1925. It was shipped to town by train and sits atop an eight-foot-tall concrete pedestal. It was donated by Southern Railroad and dedicated with a town celebration in 1926.
For many years, a festival was held in celebration of the apples grown in the area. Today, the city still celebrates with two festivals centered around the apples. Cornelia has since been labled as “The Home of the Big Red Apple.”
Newspapers.com
4 June 1926, Atlanta (GA) Constitution, pg. 5, col. 4:
Lovers of Apple
Go to Cornelia
For Ceremonies
(...)
The big red apple, eight feet high and seven feet wide, has been mounted on a concrete platform near the station of the Southern railway at Cornelia and is in full view of passengers who pass through Cornelia on trains.
J. Frank Beck, of Atlanta, owner of several apple orchards in Habersham county, will preside at the exercises. Mr. beck, in association with Fairfax Harrison, president of the Southern railway, and other citizens of North Georgia, led the movement to build a monument to the apple industry in Cornelia.
Newspapers.com (Part I)
Newspapers.com (Part II)
5 June 1926, Atlanta (GA) Constitution, pg. 1, col. 5:
TRIBUTE TO APPLE
PAID AT UNVEILING
OF BIG MONUMENT
Colorful Pageant at Cornelia Forms Part of Tribute to North Georgia Fruit.
ARKWRIGHT SPEAKS
TO HUGE THRONG
Thousands Witness Unveiling of Apple of Concrete and Steel Measuring Twenty-two Feet.
(...)
How Idea Originated.
The idea of the monument originated with J. Frank Beck, well-known Atlantan. The Southern railway co-operated to the extent of transporting the apple from the artist’s studio in Virginia and its erection and placing. Sponsors for the unveiling exercisers were the city of Cornelia, the Consolidated Apple Growers’ exchange, the Kiwanis club and the Habersham club.
Newspapers.com
13 June 1926, Atlanta (GA) Constitution, Gravure Pictorial Section, pg. 1, col. 4:
KING OF GEORGIA’S HILL COUNTRY is the “big red apple,” in whose honor a monster concrete apple was recently unveiled at Cornelia, in the heart of the apple-growing section. The mammoth fruit, which can be seen in an attractive frame of greenery, is 15 feet high and weighs three tons. (Francis E. Price)
Newspapers.com
29 July 1953, Atlanta (GA) Constitution, pg. 11, col. 3 photo caption:
THE BIG RED APPLE IS CORNELIA’S TRADEMARK
Twitter
Amy Henderson
@amyphend
Home of the Big Apple! And Elivis’ wart. #cornelia
@gacities
12:44 PM · Sep 19, 2012·Photos on iOS
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L Anderson
@LCarder3
Our town! Cornelia #fox5snow #bigapplecornelia #loveourtown
9:14 AM · Jan 7, 2017·Twitter for iPhone
Twitter
Downtown Cornelia
@CorneliaMainSt
The 31st Annual Big Red Apple Festival is THIS SATURDAY, September 22! Library book sale, Harlem Globe Trotter Michael Douglas, hayrides, apples, arts and crafts vendors, food, music, and so much more! Come check us out in Downtown Cornelia!
11:07 AM · Sep 18, 2018·Twitter Web Client
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Amelia Frappolli
@AmeliaFrappolli
Ah yes, the Big Apple, otherwise known as…. Cornelia, Georgia!
(Apple monument, 1936)
3:15 PM · Oct 29, 2019·Twitter Web App
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Peter
@pciro2180
The Big Red Apple of Cornelia, Georgia, https://flic.kr/p/2iH8HX9 #Flickr #Petercirophotography.com
5:53 PM · Mar 23, 2020·IFTTT
Twitter
Downtown Cornelia
@CorneliaMainSt
Picture it Cornelia, 1926, dedication of the Big Red Apple Monument, donated by Southern Railroad. #TBT #corneliamainst #gamainst #discovercornelia #letthetracksleadyouhere #bigredapple #homeofbigredapple
10:43 AM · Jul 30, 2020·Twitter for iPhone
accessWDUN
Posted 12:01PM on Saturday 6th March 2021
Cornelia getting to the core of aging Big Red Apple ailments
By Rob Moore Reporter
CORNELIA – Cornelia’s iconic Big Red Apple monument downtown is nearly 100 years old and is showing its age.
For that reason, the city commission has voted to spend nearly $16,000 for rehab of the historic structure located beside the railroad tracks.
“The Big Red Apple was molded in 1925 and it has stood at the train depot since 1926,” said Cornelia City Manager Donald Anderson. “For nearly 100 years it has been the symbol of Cornelia. The monument is made of concrete and steel and after 95 years of being exposed to the elements it is in serious need of repairs.”
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Backpack & Snorkel
@BaSnorkel
Replying to @BradtGuides
The Big Red Apple in Cornelia, GA
10:08 PM · May 11, 2021·Twitter Web App
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Donna Dixon
@twobears2000
The Big Red Apple (monument) in Cornelia, GA
12:51 AM · Jul 7, 2021·Twitter Web App
Twitter
vanilla villain
@imSethy
Finally made it to new York. (The big apple) Definitely not in Cornelia ga.
1:14 PM · Aug 15, 2021·Twitter for Android