I've said this before - that South Carolina is truly the peach state, producing more peaches than Georgia... check out this story in the SCIWAY Newsletter:
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SCIWAY, South Carolina Information Highway http://www.sciway.net/sn/140.html
{ The Peachoid: Gaffney's Peach of a Water Tower }
Georgia may call itself the Peach State, but South Carolina actually leads its neighbor in peach production. In fact, despite our size, we beat every state in the nation except California. The delectable treat became the official state fruit of South Carolina in 1984 and has earned its place at the table, so to speak, producing more than 90,000 tons a year. How 'bout them apples ... er, peaches? The Peachoid, Gaffney's famous roadside attraction pictured below, depicts South Carolina's sweetest bumper crop.
(I don't have a picture - here's a google search so you can see the tower: Gaffney Peachoid )
The idea of the Peachoid came to Gaffney Board of Public Works member Jack Millwood when it was decided that an elevated water tower was needed for the area. His famous words – "Let's build it in the shape of a peach!" – are immortalized in the enormous depiction of the pitted fruit that looms over I-85.
Built in 1981 over a period of five months, the iconic water tower features a cleft, a stem, and a seven-ton peach leaf. It holds one million gallons of water and can be seen between exits 90 and 92 of I-85. Made to highlight the region's prime natural product, the Peachoid's colors are meant to reflect the varieties of peaches grown in the area. After the basic colors were applied to the tower's various parts, artist Peter Freudenberg used 50 gallons of paint and more than 20 colors to achieve the desired effect.
Learn more about South Carolina's state fruit – the peach!
