A Deep Dive Into Andre the Giant’s Legacy and Ranch in Ellerbe, NC

If you didn’t get a chance to see HBO’s Andre the Giant documentary on Tuesday night, then you need to go watch it — it’s currently on-demand across all HBO services. For those who did see it, then you know that there was one place other than the ring that Andre really felt at home: his ranch in Ellerbe, North Carolina.

Andre the Giant, real name Andre Roussimoff, was born in France but found solace in the small, 1,000-person town of Ellerbe, NC. Tim White, who was credited as Andre’s “handler” in the film, said that the only place Andre was “really, really comfortable” was when they would go home to Andre’s 46-acre residence in Ellerbe, or as White called it, “The Ranch”.

When Andre passed away in 1993, his ashes were spread on the ranch with Hulk Hogan delivering the eulogy.

The town of Ellerbe remembers Andre fondly, and at one of the town’s few tourist spots — The Rankin Museum of American Heritage — they have a section dedicated to their most famous resident. Among the many items on display, there is a pair of his size 26 wrestling boots behind glass, along with a spot where you can measure your hand against Andre’s.

The museum cost just $4 for adults and has been drawing Andre fans lately because of the documentary.

In addition to a museum that memorializes Andre the Giant, the 3,500-square-foot home that he once lived in still stands and was up for auction in 2013. At the time of the auction, the Charlotte Observer wrote an awesome piece about Andre’s time in Ellerbe.

“Andre the Giant would watch movies in his custom recliner until dawn and then fill his house with thunderous snoring. When his wrestler friends were in town, they would roast a pig, drink themselves wobbly and then attempt to brand Andre’s cattle.” -Charlotte Observer article by Josh Shaffer (October 31st, 2013)

Among the other gems in the story, my favorite is that he tipped a hardware store clerk $100 after buying a chainsaw. You can read the full article here.

Pictures of Andre the Giant’s former property and home:

There are over 60 pictures of the inside and outside of Andre’s ranch here. The starting bid for the plot was $325,000.

You can stream Andre the Giant on HBO here.