Texas town Bowie says it has world's largest knife

Now THAT'S a knife: The city of Bowie unveiled what it calls the world's largest knife during a ceremony on Thursday. Click to see more photos of the knife and other Texas world records. Now THAT'S a knife: The city of Bowie unveiled what it calls the world's largest knife during a ceremony on Thursday. Click to see more photos of the knife and other Texas world records. Photo: (Courtesy Of The Bowie Chamber Of Commerce) Photo: (Courtesy Of The Bowie Chamber Of Commerce) Image 1 of / 44 Caption Close Texas town Bowie says it has world's largest knife 1 / 44 Back to Gallery

Just in time for the 50th annual Jim Bowie Days festival, the town that bears the famed Alamo defender’s name now claims the world’s biggest knife.

The larger-than-life Bowie knife was unveiled on Thursday in a park in Bowie – a small North Texas town (pop: just over 5,000 residents) north of Fort Worth, off U.S. 81. The sculpture features some admirable measurements. The entire object is 20 feet, 6 inches long and weighs 3,000 pounds. The blade is made of stainless steel.

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The monument was designed to tolerate winds up to 90 miles per hour, an inch of ice and seismic activity.

The project almost didn’t come to pass. Fundraising for the Bowie Knife Project started in 2013. However, by the end of 2014, organizers had raised only one-third of the project’s estimated cost of $150,000 to $170,000. At the last minute, an anonymous donor gave $100,000 to save the undertaking.



Diana Thomlinson, executive director of the Bowie Chamber of Commerce, noted the Bowie knife was funded with entirely private money.

Project officials spent last year working on the site’s architecture and other project details. The knife rests on a large base, and is surrounded by tiles of those who donated to the project. That includes a prominent plaque for Bob Hadley, who came up with the idea. Hadley died in a car crash in 2013.



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Thomlinson said the residents hope the knife will provide a tourism boost for the small town along the historic Chisholm Trail. The monument also will serve as an appropriate centerpiece for the annual festival and rodeo called Jim Bowie Days.

The chamber of commerce plans to have special guests on hand in June to confirm the landmark as the largest knife in the world.

“It will be a record,” Thomlinson said. “We’re intending to have (officials for Guinness World Records) at our dedication ceremony.”

See other Texas entries world records in the gallery above.