In the outlot of Long’s Furniture World, our full line furniture store in Franklin (Amity), sits the world’s Largest wooden Rocking Chair, This 32 foot tall structure is affectionately known as “Big John”, name after JD Long, who owned the business until to 2007. He had it built in 2004.
It has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest chair of it’s kind. It has also garnered attention from the folks at Roadside America, being identified as a worthwhile stop along your travels. As a result, we have had countless visitors from literally all around the world. Most just stop by to stretch their legs, have a quick snack, take a few pictures, stop in the store to say hello and then continue on their way. We always appreciate it when folks stop by.
A little known fact about “Big John” is that shortly after it was initially constructed, it actually fell over and tumbled to the ground. Apparently, the company that built it didn’t completely appreciate what it was going to take to build a chair of this size. After the “crash”, they went back to the drawing board and redesigned some of the support pieces to withstand the weight of the structure. They then had some more “weather worthy” logs brought in from the State of Washington, and tried again. Their second effort was much more successful. Since being rebuilt later that year, the chair has withstood all kinds of weather conditions, including high winds, tornado warnings , and the massive flood of 2008.
Please feel free to stop by and check “Big John” out for yourself! And don’t forget to stop in the store just to say hello!!
