Stonehenge II
{{Short description|Public sculpture in Texas}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2013}}
Stonehenge II is a concrete sculpture in the Texas Hill Country, US, built in homage to the original Stonehenge monument. Stonehenge II was conceived by Al Shepperd and built with the help of his friend and neighbor, Doug Hill. Originally located on FM 1340 west of Hunt, Texas, Stonehenge II now resides on the campus of the Hill Country Arts Foundation in Ingram, Texas (78025).
According to the signage at the site: "Stonehenge II is not a replica; it is about 2/3 the size of the original, and it is not oriented to the sun, as is the original. Rather, it is Hill's impression, in steel and concrete, of the nearly 5,000 year old circle of stones on the Salisbury Plain."{{cite web |url=https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-w/0c/55/8f/cf/a-little-about-the-place.jpg |title=Stonehenge II: A little about the place|accessdate= 22 June 2018}}
In addition to the constructed and real stones comprising the monument, there are also two fabricated Moai, or Easter Island (Rapa Nui/Isla de Pascua) statues located at the Hill Country Arts Foundation. These imitation Moai are made of the same material as the Stonehenge II stones.{{cite web |url=https://www.legendsofamerica.com/tx-stonehenge/ |title=Stonehenge II Near Hunt, Texas|accessdate=27 April 2018}}
Creation of Stonehenge II
The first stone for the project was a piece of limestone left over from a building project.{{cite web |title=Stonehenge II going to new site |url=https://newsok.com/article/3482991/stonehenge-ii-going-to-new-site |website=NewsOK.com |date=8 August 2010}} Most of the stones are constructed of plaster applied to a wire mesh frame;{{cite web |title=Stonehenge II and Easter Island Heads, Ingram, Texas |url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/7819 |website=RoadsideAmerica.com |language=en}} however, two of the central stones are real, large, and probably unmovable without heavy equipment.
Relocation effort
In the summer of 2010, Al Shepperd began searching for a new home for Stonehenge II after putting his land in Hunt, Texas up for sale. The Hill Country Arts Foundation agreed to offer a new location for the project, and started a 'Save Stonehenge II' campaign to raise the necessary funds to cover the costs of moving, repairing, and rebuilding the monument in a new location in Ingram, Texas. By December 2010, the stones and statues were moved to the new site, but not reconstructed.[http://dailytimes.com/news/article_d7f1b238-aefe-564e-8179-7549fafc39da.html Stonehenge II begins journey to new home.] Kerrville Daily Times
By 2011, the Hill Country Arts Foundation had raised the necessary funds to move the monument and statues to its new home on Foundation property{{cite web |title=Stonehenge II and Easter Island Heads, Ingram, Texas |url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/7819 |website=RoadsideAmerica.com |language=en}} near the Point Theater in Ingram.
The site today
The new location of Stonehenge II sits directly in the path of the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. The duration of the eclipse will last for 4 minutes 26 seconds.[http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2024Apr08Tgoogle.html Total Solar Eclipse Path] NASA Future plans for Stonehenge II include the addition of a dance floor, benches, and sidewalks to the site.
In popular culture
Stonehenge II was featured as a backdrop for a scene in an early episode of the NBC TV series Friday Night Lights (Episode 19: "Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes").
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://hcaf.com/index.php/stonehenge-ii Hill Country Arts Foundation]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100115165903/http://www.alfredshepperd.com/stonehenge/untitled.html Official site]
- [http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/TXHUNhenge.html Roadside America]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100920133937/http://hcaf.com/foundation/stonehenge/default.htm Save Stonehenge II]
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Category:Buildings and structures in Kerr County, Texas
Category:Monuments and memorials in Texas
Category:Plaster sculptures in the United States
Category:Roadside attractions in Texas
Category:Replicas and derivatives of Stonehenge