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A rusted ball of barbed wire on display outside Ripley's Believe It or Not! at 601 E. Palace Parkway in Grand Prairie, Texas. Roadside America says Lyle Lynch began rolling it in Mesa, Arizona, around 1970, and that it went on display here in 2017.
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World's Second Largest Ball of Barbed Wire
This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.
Site-level location · 32.7459° N, 97.0259° W
FIELD GUIDE
The story
This rusty ball once held a world record and now sits outside a Texas museum of oddities. According to Roadside America, Lyle Lynch, a retired National Park Service tour guide, began rolling the ball of barbed wire in Mesa, Arizona, around 1970 and named it "Clonia". The site says it reportedly contains 16 miles of wire.
Its size is reported in different ways. Roadside America gives a maximum height of eight feet and a weight of three tons, and DFW Happens in 2025 also calls it a 3-ton ball. A Dallas-area roadside guide, AMLI, says 13 tons. A 1997 FARM SHOW magazine item, quoting the owner of another ball, puts Lynch's roll at 7 feet 3 inches in diameter.
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PRACTICAL
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WHAT TO EXPECT
Roadside America lists gates open Friday to Monday 11 to 5. Confirm hours and any admission requirement for outdoor areas before visiting.
ACCESS
Ripley's Believe It or Not!, 601 East Palace Parkway, Grand Prairie, TX 75050. Roadside America places the ball on the front lawn outside the building; DFW Happens (2025) describes it in the outdoor Art Garden.
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