Foamhenge is a full-scale styrofoam replica of Stonehenge, which was originally located in Natural Bridge, Virginia. It was conceived and built by artist Mark Cline as a roadside attraction, and opened on April 1, 2004. In 2017, Foamhenge was relocated to Centreville, Virginia. [1] [2]
Foamhenge was created in 2004 by Mark Cline of Enchanted Castle Studios as an April Fool's Day stunt to generate tourism. The idea for Foamhenge came to Mark in 1998, when he was inspired by 16-foot-tall (4.9 m) foam blocks that he saw at a local insulation manufacturer. Mark had the concept and materials, but needed a location for his creation. In 2004, he made an agreement with The Natural Bridge for rent-free land with the intention of attracting tourists to both sites. [1]
Foamhenge was designed to match Stonehenge, with similarly sized pieces oriented in astronomically equivalent coordinates. [3] The 'stones' are composed completely of styrofoam and painted gray, weighing approximately 420 lbs. apiece. [4] [5] They are stabilized with embedded 2.5-inch-diameter (6.4 cm) piping, extending from a concrete footing to the top of each stone. The entire structure was assembled in about ten days, as opposed to Stonehenge's construction period of about 1000 years. [1]
Foamhenge stayed at the Natural Bridge site for over 12 years. By 2015, the foam pieces had deteriorated markedly due to the temporary nature of their construction and overexposure to the elements in a moderate climate. Many of the pieces had fallen into disrepair to the point that they had split apart and held together with temporary supports. [6]
The Natural Bridge became a state park in 2016, subsequently causing Foamhenge to close. The structure was dismantled on August 30, 2016, and placed in storage. After receiving over fifty inquiries from across the United States, Cline agreed to relocate Foamhenge to Cox Farms, a popular 116-acre (47 ha) family farm, near Centreville, VA, a suburb of Washington, D.C. After the pieces were repaired and repainted, they were moved and re-constructed, with help from an astronomer, for permanent display at Cox Farms. [7] With guidance from Harold Geller, the Observatory Director at nearby George Mason University, the pieces were accurately placed to align with the Summer solstice just like Stonehenge. [5] Foamhenge officially re-opened at its new location just in time for the start of the farm's Fall Festival on September 16, 2017. [2]
Foamhenge was created as a whimsical, temporary, roadside attraction and architectural folly, but its popularity sustained its legitimacy and permanence. Foamhenge's quirkiness holds a certain appeal to a unique national subculture and it has become a must-see for many. Over time the attraction garnered the attention of many articles and television programs pertaining to American roadside attractions. In July, 2022, 'Big Potato Games' announced that Foamhenge would be one of 49 popular national roadside attractions featured in "Zillionaires: Road Trip USA", its new Monopoly-style family board game. A photo of Foamhenge appears on the game's box. [8]
Patsy Cline was an American singer. She is considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century and was one of the first country music artists to cross over into pop music. Cline had several major hits during her eight-year recording career, including two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart.
Glasgow is a town in Rockbridge County, Virginia, United States, at the confluence of the James and Maury Rivers. The population was 1,133 at the 2010 census.
Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It is a poor barrier to air and water vapor and has a relatively low melting point. Polystyrene is one of the most widely used plastics, with the scale of its production being several million tonnes per year. Polystyrene is naturally transparent, but can be colored with colorants. Uses include protective packaging, containers, lids, bottles, trays, tumblers, disposable cutlery, in the making of models, and as an alternative material for phonograph records.
Knott's Berry Farm is a 57-acre (2,500,000 sq ft) theme park located in Buena Park, California, owned and operated by Cedar Fair. In March 2015, it was ranked as the twelfth-most-visited theme park in North America, while averaging approximately 4 million visitors per year. The park features over 40 rides, including roller coasters, family rides, dark rides, and water rides.
America's Stonehenge is a privately owned tourist attraction and archaeological site consisting of a number of large rocks and stone structures scattered around roughly 30 acres within the town of Salem, New Hampshire, in the United States. It is open to the public for a fee as part of a recreational area which includes snowshoe trails and an alpaca farm.
Carhenge is a replica of England's Stonehenge located near the city of Alliance, Nebraska, in the High Plains region of the United States. Instead of being built with large standing stones, as is the case with the original Stonehenge, Carhenge is formed from vintage American automobiles, all covered with gray spray paint. Built by Jim Reinders, it was dedicated at the June 1987 summer solstice. In 2006, a visitor center was constructed to serve the site, in 2023, Carhenge was featured in Disney Plus' Cars on The Road Series.
The Georgia Guidestones was a granite monument that stood in Elbert County, Georgia, United States, from 1980 to 2022. It was 19 feet 3 inches (5.87 m) tall and made from six granite slabs weighing a total of 237,746 pounds (107,840 kg). The structure was sometimes referred to as an "American Stonehenge". The monument's creators believed that there was going to be an upcoming social, nuclear, or economic calamity and they wanted the monument to serve as a guide for humanity in the world which would exist after it. Controversial from its time of construction, it ultimately became the subject of conspiracy theories which alleged that it was connected to Satanism.
Natural Bridge is a geological formation in Rockbridge County, Virginia, USA, comprising a 215-foot-high (66 m) natural arch with a span of 90 feet (27 m). It is situated within a gorge carved from the surrounding mountainous limestone terrain by Cedar Creek, a small tributary of the James River. Consisting of horizontal limestone strata, Natural Bridge is the remains of the roof of a cave or tunnel through which the Cedar Creek once flowed.
The Bunny Man is an urban legend that originated from two incidents in Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1970, but has been spread throughout the Washington, D.C., and Maryland areas. The legend has many variations; most involve a man wearing a rabbit costume who attacks people with an axe or hatchet.
This is a list of Stonehenge replicas and derivatives that seeks to collect all the non-ephemeral examples together. The fame of the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge in England has led to many efforts to recreate it, using a variety of different materials, around the world. Some have been carefully built as astronomically aligned models whilst others have been examples of artistic expression or tourist attractions.
The Statue of Ramesses II is a 3,200-year-old figure of Ramesses II, depicting him standing. It was discovered in 1820 by Giovanni Battista Caviglia at the Great Temple of Ptah near Memphis, Egypt. It is made from limestone and weighs 83 tons. This statue was built to celebrate the victory over the Hittites in the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 B.C.
The Centreville Amusement Park is a children's amusement park located on Centre Island, part of the Toronto Islands, offshore of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The park has been operated by the Beasley family since 1967, currently through Etobicoke-based William Beasley Enterprises Limited, on land leased from the City of Toronto government and is open daily during the summer. Beasley also operates the "Far Enough Farm" adjacent to the park.
Mark Cline is an American artist and entertainer. Inspired by monster and science fiction films. He produces foam and fiberglass figures and fantasy characters for attractions and cities.
The Maryhill Stonehenge is a replica of England's Stonehenge located in Maryhill, Washington, United States. It was commissioned in the early 20th century by the wealthy entrepreneur Sam Hill, and dedicated on July 4, 1918 as a memorial to the people who had died in World War I.
Dinosaur Kingdom II is a tourist attraction in Natural Bridge, Virginia, consisting of statues which depict a dinosaur attack on the Union Army. The park contains thirty fiberglass dinosaur statues, a smaller number of Union soldiers, and several other characters, including Abraham Lincoln and a gorilla in a cowboy hat. Dinosaur Kingdom, which opened in 2005, is the work of local artist Mark Cline, who also created nearby Foamhenge.
Petersen Rock Garden, formerly Petersen's Rock Garden and also known as the Petersen Rock Gardens, is a rock garden and museum on 4 acres (1.6 ha), located between the cities of Bend and Redmond in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. Rasmus Petersen, a Danish immigrant who settled in Central Oregon in the early 1900s, began constructing the garden in 1935 using rocks he found within an 85-mile (137 km) radius of his family home. Petersen constructed detailed miniature castles, churches and other small buildings and monuments from a variety of rock types. He incorporated other design elements such as bridges, water features, and natural landscaping. Petersen worked on the garden until his death in 1952; the garden has remained in his family's care since then. The garden, considered a roadside attraction with novelty architecture, includes roaming peafowl and a museum with a gift shop that sells rocks.
Esperance Stonehenge is a full-sized replica of Stonehenge, in Esperance, Western Australia. It was built from 137 locally quarried stones of up to 50 tonnes, and is aligned to the summer and winter solstices. It is designed to be a copy of the original, intact Stonehenge from c. 2000 BC, rather than the currently extant ruins.
Bamahenge is a full-scale fiberglass replica of England's prehistoric Stonehenge monument, located on the grounds of Barber Marina near Josephine, Alabama. It was designed and built by artist Mark Cline, at the request of marina owner George W. Barber.
Dinosaur Land is a tourist attraction in White Post, Virginia established in 1963. The park has more than fifty dinosaur statues; the differing styles of the recreations demonstrate changing anatomical knowledge and aesthetic design over the decades.
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