Shippensburg, PA · I-81 Exit 24
The World's Largest Paint Can
Since 1995, a former water tank dressed as a giant can of Benjamin Moore paint has stood beside our showroom on Mt Rock Road, stopping travelers on Interstate 81 in their tracks.
- 1995First painted
- ~40 ftTall
- 4Labels so far
- Exit 24Off I-81
The story
How a water tank became a paint can
When the family bought the property on Mt Rock Road in 1993, it had been home to an oil business. “The oil tanks had to be removed, but the water tank had to stay for fire purposes,” owner Sue Bender later told PDR magazine.
So they made it work for them. Sue, then Sue Armstrong, and her twin sister Louann came up with the idea when their father, property owner Sam Armstrong, suggested the tank should stay. They checked with their Benjamin Moore sales representative, Tom Whitehurst, who cleared the plan with the company. “They just wanted it to look very good, especially their logo at the top of the can,” Sue told The Patriot-News.
Brad Spahr of Spahr Signs in Newville scanned a real paint-can label and printed it as a 38-by-42-foot pattern in 30-inch strips. He planned to paint it himself, until the lift reached the top. “I forgot how scared I was when I get up that high,” he recalled. “I'm not a climber.” The sisters chalked the pattern onto the tank and, with friends Rod Hager and Dennis McNew, filled in the lines by hand in about two weeks.
Three decades on, it's a landmark for travelers along Interstate 81. “It has been a great promotion for my business and for Benjamin Moore,” Sue told PDR in 2019.
Four labels, thirty years
The can through the years
The can gets a new Benjamin Moore label every so often. Here's every look it has had.
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1995
Photo: Laura Mathews for The Patriot-News, 1995 MoorGlo Latex House & Trim Paint
The first label. Brad Spahr Signs of Newville turned the label into a 38-by-42-foot paper pattern. Sue Armstrong (now Sue Bender), her twin sister Louann, and friends Rod Hager and Dennis McNew painted it by hand in about two weeks.
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By 2016
Photo: frank magazine, Spring/Summer 2016 MoorGlo Soft Gloss Exterior House Paint
A sky-blue exterior-paint label with a 25-year warranty band. This is the can frank magazine featured in 2016 as one of Franklin County's roadside giants.
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Sept. 2018
Photo: Markell DeLoatch, Public Opinion, 2018 The facelift
Fleagle's Painting LLC of Chambersburg stripped and restored the tank. The work took about three weeks and made the front page of the Public Opinion.
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2018
Photo: PDR magazine, February 2019 Aura Waterborne Interior Paint & Primer
The third label, funded in part by Benjamin Moore. “This time we chose a premium product,” owner Sue Bender told PDR. “It’s Ben Moore’s prettiest label yet.”
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Today
Photo: A & A Decorative Regal Select Interior, Eggshell
The can's fourth label, in Benjamin Moore's current blue. It's the one you'll see from the interstate today.
In the news
The can in print
The clippings hang on the wall inside our showroom. Stop in and see them in person.
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The Patriot · Harrisburg
“Paint can hits new heights”
The paper covered the new store, the water tank that stayed behind when the oil business left, and how the family painted the first label themselves.
View the clipping (opens in a new tab) -
frank magazine · Franklin County
“Going big in Franklin County”
Named the can one of the I-81 corridor's roadside giants, alongside Keystone Fireworks' giant firecracker in Greencastle.
View the clipping (opens in a new tab) -
Public Opinion · Chambersburg
“Paint can gets a facelift”
Front-page photo of Fleagle's Painting restoring the can, which the caption calls a landmark for travelers along Interstate 81.
View the clipping (opens in a new tab) -
PDR (Paint & Decorating Retailer)
“Selfie stop for paint fans”
A full-page feature on the can and the people who stop every day to take pictures at its base.
View the clipping (opens in a new tab)
Plan your stop
Visiting the paint can
The can stands on our property at 1000 Mt Rock Rd, Shippensburg, PA 17257. From Interstate 81, take Exit 24 and head for Mt Rock Road, which runs right alongside the highway. You'll spot the can before you spot the road signs.
Travelers stop every day for a photo, and plenty of people strike a pose at its base. Come by during showroom hours, and while you're here, step inside. We've been selling Benjamin Moore paint and installing floors on this spot since 1995.
Making a road trip of it?
The I-81 corridor has a thing for giant landmarks. frank magazine's 2016 tour of Franklin County's roadside giants also included:
- The giant firecracker on the Keystone Fireworks building in Greencastle, familiar to anyone who drives I-81.
- A giant 1920 pickup truck built by Franklin County Career and Technology Center students for the Roadside Giants of the Lincoln Highway project. It stands at Shatzer's Fruit Market on Lincoln Way West in Chambersburg.
Paint can FAQ
Where is the World's Largest Paint Can?
At 1000 Mt Rock Rd, Shippensburg, PA 17257, right beside the A & A Decorative showroom. It's just off Interstate 81 at Exit 24, on Mt Rock Road, which runs alongside the highway. You can see it from I-81.
Is it a real paint can?
No. It's a steel water tank that provided fire protection for the oil business that once occupied the property. When the other tanks came out, the water tank had to stay, so in 1995 the family painted it to look like a can of Benjamin Moore paint.
How tall is it?
Newspaper accounts from 1995 and 2018 describe it as about 40 feet high, and a 2019 trade magazine said 35 feet. Either way, you can't miss it.
Can I stop and take a picture?
Travelers stop every day to take photos at its base. Come by during showroom hours, and say hello inside while you're here.
What label is on it now?
Benjamin Moore Regal Select Interior, in eggshell. It's the can's fourth label, after MoorGlo Latex House & Trim (1995), MoorGlo Soft Gloss, and Aura (2018).
Who painted it?
The first label was painted in 1995 by Sue Armstrong (now owner Sue Bender), her twin sister Louann, and friends Rod Hager and Dennis McNew, using a pattern made by Brad Spahr Signs of Newville. In 2018 it was restored by Fleagle's Painting LLC of Chambersburg.
Stop for the photo. Stay to see the floors.
Beside the can is a family-run showroom full of carpet, tile, luxury vinyl, hardwood, and Benjamin Moore paint. Come in and look around.
1000 Mt Rock Rd, Shippensburg
Right off I-81, Exit 24. Look for the giant paint can.
Mon–Fri 7:30–5 · Sat 8–12