''Foamhenge'' is a full-scale

styrofoam Styrofoam is a trademarked brand of closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), commonly called "Blue Board", manufactured as foam continuous building insulation board used in walls, roofs, and foundations as thermal insulation and water barrie ...

replica of

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connectin ...

, which was originally located in

Natural Bridge, Virginia Natural Bridge is an unincorporated community in Rockbridge County, Virginia, United States. The community is the site of Natural Bridge, a natural arch which gives the town its name. Natural Bridge is located at the junction of U.S. Route 11 and ...

. It was conceived and built by artist

Mark Cline 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. Cline has described ''Foamhenge'' as his greatest achieveme ...

as a

roadside attraction A roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road meant to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere, rather than actually being a destination. They are frequently advertised with billboards. T ...

, and opened on April 1, 2004. In 2017, ''Foamhenge'' was relocated to Centreville,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Design and construction

''Foamhenge'' was created in 2004 by

of Enchanted Castle Studios as an

April Fool's Day April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...

stunt to generate tourism. The idea for ''Foamhenge'' came to Mark in 1998, when he was inspired by 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 ''The Natural Bridge'' is the second studio album by indie rock group the Silver Jews. Released in 1996 as an LP and CD on Drag City (DC101) in America and Domino (WIG28) in Europe, ''The Natural Bridge'' was engineered and mixed by Michael De ...

for rent-free land with the intention of attracting tourists to both sites. ''Foamhenge'' was designed to match

, with similarly sized pieces oriented in astronomically equivalent coordinates. The 'stones' are composed completely of

and painted gray, weighing approximately 420 lbs. apiece. They are stabilized with embedded 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.

Physical Decline and Move to Northern Virginia

''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. The

Natural Bridge A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, coastal cliffs, fins or stacks are subject to erosion fr ...

became a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

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 family farm, near Centreville, VA, a suburb of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

After the pieces were repaired and repainted, they were moved and re-constructed, with help from an astronomer, for permanent display at Cox Farms. With guidance from Harold Geller, the Observatory Director at nearby George Mason University, the pieces were accurately placed to align with the

Summer solstice The summer solstice, also called the estival solstice or midsummer, occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the summer ...

just like ''Stonehenge''. ''Foamhenge'' officially re-opened at its new location just in time for the start of the farm's Fall Festival on September 16, 2017.

Pop Culture

''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.

References

External links

* Landmarks in Virginia Roadside attractions in Virginia Buildings and structures in Rockbridge County, Virginia Tourist attractions in Rockbridge County, Virginia Replicas and derivatives of Stonehenge 2004 sculptures Polystyrene sculptures Relocated buildings and structures in Virginia {{US-sculpture-stub

Design and construction

Physical Decline and Move to Northern Virginia

Pop Culture

See also

References

External links