Giant Rotating Cow and Eggnog, Mount Pleasant, SC

Giant Rotating Cow and Eggnog, Mount Pleasant, SC

Bessie, an icon of the Coburg Dairy, and a landmark on the south side of Mount Pleasant, has been rotating there since 1959. The spinning bovine,  spinning under the giant neon "C," has become one of Charleston's most famous icons. Along with her giant milk bottle (changed to eggnog seasonally), she is in the St. Andrew's Shopping Center at the corner of US Hwy 17/Savannah Hwy and Coburg Rd. Bessie has seen her trials, ridden by want to be Rodeo Cowboys, her tail torn off, and shot. She has had several repairs. Charleston also considers her a weather gauge, as you can see a storm brewing if she is lowered to the ground (a precise predictor of hurricanes). Bessie is the only statue honored by the Citidel after a cadet fell off her on Halloween night, injuring himself and the cow. A successful fundraising effort by the cadets led her restoration, including a 21 gun salute with bagpipes.