The story behind that big Christmas hammer

It’s a symbol of Humboldt’s modern history greeting drivers as they pass into Eureka on highway 101, also known as Broadway Street.

The big hammer outside of Pierson’s Building Center is decorated every year in time for the holiday season.

Owner Bill Pierson had the big hammer installed in the early 90s and it’s been an iconic staple of Humboldt ever since.”

The hammer is 31 feet in height and made of solid wood steel. 

It’s not hollow despite what many onlookers may think.

Decorating the hammer itself came much later in the process in the 2000s.

“We’ve been doing it for over twenty years. And the owner of the company wanted to decorate and light up the hammer to bring in and light up the holiday and Christmas spirit to the community,” Pierson’s general manager Linzy Robinson said.

Decorating the hammer takes two to three days with more than 15,000 LED lights being wrapped around to make it shine bright, even during the day. 

“Every year, we have customers asking what color we’re going to have the lights on it,” Robinson said. “People look forward to it and they come on in to see the hammer and visit the Christmas store.”

Pierson’s Christmas store overtakes the garden shop every year after Thanksgiving.

It showcases ornaments from around the world, local homemade crafts and other delights of the holiday season.

“It’s so fun to see everyone’s reaction when they come in and every year,” Robinson told us. “People just praise the garden shop for how good it looks at how much work they’ve done.” 

The store has become a yearly tradition for families all over to visit and get lost in the winter wonderland before them.

“I’ve seen kids that have moved off to college coming back to see their parents and they definitely want to go to the Christmas store since they’ve come since they were small children,” Robinson shared.