Benton & Sons' Dinosaurs

Benton & Sons Fabrication, a metal shop in Pikeville, North Carolina, built dinosaur sculptures as a way to keep its workers busy. In an April 2017 interview with Strange Carolinas, the owner said the first was an 18-foot T. rex, made to draw attention to the shop's sign. The Stegosaurus followed during another slowdown. the owner said it was meant to be about 14 feet tall and 32 feet long but measured 29 feet long and a little over 15 feet tall after the final weld, and that the tail broke off getting it out of the building. He put roughly 600 man hours into it. A Brachiosaurus, 27 feet tall, was the newest, and a Dilophosaurus was lent to the City of Goldsboro for its Center Street art display. WRAL reported in August 2017 that the owner keeps his staff working in slow periods rather than laying them off, and that the dinosaurs are for sale. Strange Carolinas counted three at the shop that year. The company's own website says there are now even more big dinosaurs, without giving a number. Confirm with the business before making a trip. The shop is a working fabrication business, not a visitor attraction.