Few People Know The Iconic Attraction In Ohio Was Actually Imported From Maryland
By Sarah McCosham|Published January 06, 2023
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
Ohio is home to some particularly epic larger-than-life roadside attractions, from Big Muskie’s Bucket to the World’s Largest Basket. But there’s another superlative attraction hiding in the Buckeye State that’s not even from Ohio at all. Crabbie, The World’s Largest Horseshoe Crab, is an iconic Ohio attraction transported from Baltimore, Maryland, with a story befitting his giant stature.
Horseshoe crabs can be found all along the Atlantic Coast. They vary in size, with females between 16 to 19 inches, and males roughly three times larger...
You're probably wondering how this massive marine arthropod traveled all the way from the ocean to landlocked Ohio, and it's quite an interesting story.
Crabbie was constructed in 1995 for an attraction in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The fiberglass arthropod is 67 feet long, 28 feet wide, and 12 feet high (with an even longer tail that sticks up behind the structure). It's open on the inside, with room for literally dozens of people to comfortably stand.
Crabbie was initially used as a space for teaching about the Chesapeake Bay’s marine life at the Columbus Center; a way to generate buzz and attract visitors.
After his stint in Baltimore, Crabbie was transported to a creationist museum in Kentucky, then a church in Blanchester, Ohio (pictured here), and now resides in Hillsboro, Ohio.
This massive attraction also had a cameo in the "Twilight" saga: a World’s Largest Horseshoe Crab tee was included in the T-shirt quilt given to Bella by her mother in the "Eclipse" movie.
Today, Crabbie is located off Highway 124 in Hillsboro, Ohio, and is both free to visit and 100% worth the detour.