World’s Largest Catsup Bottle

Totally cheesy but apparently a local landmark so I had to check it out, right? I can’t resist these slices of Americana while I am travelling. Driving through Collinsville, you know you are in small town America, which is almost ironic since it’s just a few miles away from St. Louis. Once you drive past it, there is a large lot that you can park in for maximum photo opportunities. A fun little side trip if you’re out this way.
P. S. This was review number 900 for me. BAM!

I admit it has been SOME time since I visited the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle. But, I’m throwing this review up here because I want to pad my list of Roadside attractions… plus, if you are a superlative junkie like me, you are gonna LOVE THIS!!!
The trick is getting there. Okay, maybe for some people, it’s not all that hard, but I was unfamiliar with the area and took a couple of wrong turns. But, eventually I made it and there it was in all it’s glory: THE WORLD’S LARGEST CATSUP BOTTLE. I only wished I had a burger big enough for it. So, I got out of the car, took a photo, gave it the «Vacation Nod»™ and headed for Chicago.
If you are in the area of Collinsville, you have to stop and see this water tower. While they no longer make catsup there, this town celebrates their Catsup History and you should, too!
btw, :SPOILER: it’s not really full of catsup. Just in case you had an urge to climb up for a taste. Don’t.

The Brook’s Catsup Bottle is a Collinsville Landmark, and thanks to the good people of Collinsville and a Save The Catsup Bottle Fundraiser several years back we were able to save the water tower from being torn down and even managed to get it a fresh coat of paint. Collinsville even has an entire festival every year dedicated to the World largest Catsup Bottle. -
The giant catsup bottle is actually a water tower, despite the rumors you may have heard growing up around this area. I think one I recall hearing when I was little was that it really was filled with catsup, however that is not true no matter how much you wanted to beleive that as a child, lol. Anyways the water tower is located at the former Brook’s Catsup factory. In fact the catsup bottle has earned its spot as one of the top 50 roadside attraction in the US by Time magazine. I even had read an article that the catsup bottle was even mentioned in the Twilight movies, strange that Collinsville would get a shout out in a major movie. This really does deserve its spot in the top 50 roadside attractions!
The factory has close long ago and no longer makes the catsup however the Brooks brand catsup is still being made. The Brooks brand is owned by Birds Eye Foods, and the product is actually manufactured in Canada.

I love Brook’s Tangy Catsup. I wish they still sold it in my area. I have to go to St. Louis to get it now. I think «tangy» is a misnomer, but whatever it is it is just the best catsup you’ll ever have, not very sweet tasting and not spicy, just perfect!

a watertower that looks like a catsup bottle. at the bottom of the hill is the old factory. lotsa construction improving this strecth of road these days. pure 100% american kitsch.

SHRIMP! Huh? Is he trying to construct some kind of weird oxymoron? Why does the sight of something so big make John H. think of something so small? Because Collinsville, site of the world’s largest catsup bottle, is also the horseradish capital of the world. What do you get when you combine all the CATSUP in that huge bottle with fields of HORSERADISH? COCKTAIL SAUCE! And what goes with tanker trucks of cocktail sauce? BOATLOADS of SHRIMP!
Summarizing my Business Plan:
World’s Largest Catsup Bottle
+
Fields of Horseradish Root, finely ground
= Tanker Trucks of Cocktail Sauce,
—} —} exported to the gulf,
tbd %/​Ton Cocktail Sauce = tbd %/​Ton Shrimp,
Tanker Trucks of Cocktail Sauce exchanged for Boatloads of Shrimp,
{— {— imported to the Metro East,
= $$$
Collinsville becomes Mid-​America Shrimp Central.
Ingenious! Venture capitalists, who’s in?

I totally love goofy landmarks, and this definately qualifies. THIS is a water tower with personality!

No way! People have Unilocaled the Giant Ketchup Bottle!!! I saw it for the first time a week ago. Pretty sad considering my husband has worked at Collinsville HS for a year now. Well, it’s majestic. Named one of the top 50 roadside attraction in the US by Time magazine.

I love catsup, so we had to visit this on the way home. It is indeed, a very large catsup bottle. 5 stars for being exactly what it is supposed to be.

Honestly, what else can you say about living in a town where they have the world’s largest catsup bottle?
Years ago, this was very close to being torn down but the people of Collinsville came together and saved it!
You need a picture of you standing in front of the catsup bottle for your facebook/​myspace/​social networking page of your choice. Really, you’ll be cool then.

On the historic Route 66, on the way from St. Louis to Chicago, is the World’s Largest Catsup bottle. Sure, I can go over the fabled lore of the Brook’s Catsup company, but, really, it’s glory and majesty comes from the fact that, well, it’s the world’s largest catsup bottle.