Shelburne, Vermont

Fire Hydrant Jack

A giant toy jack made of numerous welded-together fire hydrants.

This massive roadside attraction harks back to a classic childhood game: jacks. You can drive right by it, walk up to it, and even climb on it, though it wouldn’t be wise to try to bounce a ball nearby to pick it up.

This huge red jack is actually made of welded-together fire hydrants (also called fireplugs). While it might not catch your eye as much as would, say, a live Tyrannosaurus Rex lumbering down the street playing an accordion (badly, since those short arms would limit it somewhat), it’s still something that you would notice and want to know more about.

Local artist Chris Sharp created the sculpture as a tribute to the firefighters involved in 9/11 and as an examination of society’s increased awareness of safety infrastructure.

The earliest known sighting of it was in May of 2007. Then, the sculpture resembled a typical six-armed jack. But over the years, it has grown increasingly larger as more hydrants were added. Today, the toy-shaped structure has sprouted enough fireplug arms to make it no longer look like a traditional jack.

It’s an easy piece of artwork to spot for anyone heading down U.S. Route 7 in Shelburne, Vermont. The giant red sculpture is right across the street from the fire department.