The Maryhill Stonehenge is a replica of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

's Stonehenge located in

Maryhill, Washington Maryhill is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Klickitat County, Washington, United States. The population was 58 at the 2010 census, down from 98 at the 2000 census. History Maryhill is named after the wife and d ...

, United States. It was commissioned in the early 20th century by the wealthy

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

Sam Hill, and dedicated on July 4, 1918 as a memorial to the people who had died in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The memorial is constructed of

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

, and construction was commenced in 1918 and completed in 1929. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2021.

History

The Maryhill Stonehenge was the first monument in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

to honor the dead of World War I – specifically, soldiers from

Klickitat County, Washington Klickitat County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,735. The county seat and largest city is Goldendale. The county is named after the Klickitat tribe. History Klickitat Count ...

, who had died in the then-ongoing war. The altar stone is placed to be aligned with

sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology A ...

on the summer solstice. Following the then-prevalent interpretation of Stonehenge, Hill thought that the original monument had been used as a sacrificial site. He was a Quaker and commissioned the replica as a reminder that humanity is still capable of being sacrificed to the god of war. The monument is located within the former site of the town of Maryhill; the town later burned down, leaving only the

replica standing. The memorial overlooks the

Columbia Gorge The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the sta ...

. A second formal dedication of the monument took place on its completion on May 30, 1929. Sam Hill died in 1931, but lived long enough to see the re-installation of his Stonehenge replica completed. The dedication plaque on this Washington Stonehenge is inscribed:

Current status

The Maryhill Stonehenge, which has nearby monuments to the soldiers of Klickitat County who died in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and Afghanistan, is now part of the

Maryhill Museum of Art Maryhill Museum of Art is a small museum with an eclectic collection, located near what is now the community of Maryhill in the U.S. state of Washington. The museum is situated on a bluff overlooking the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge. T ...

. This concrete landmark is located off U.S. Highway 97, about two miles from the

Sam Hill Memorial Bridge The Sam Hill Memorial Bridge, also known as the Biggs Rapids Bridge, is a steel truss bridge in the northwest United States that carries U.S. Route 97 (US 97) across the Columbia River between Biggs Junction in Sherman County, Oreg ...

. Admission is free to visit the memorial but donations for its continued maintenance are accepted.

References

External links

Official site
– Maryhill Museum of Art
Sound recordings within MaryHill ReplicaMotion video within MaryHill Replica
{{coord , 45.694342 , -120.806115 , display=title 1929 sculptures Buildings and structures in Klickitat County, Washington Concrete sculptures in Washington (state) Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) National Register of Historic Places in Klickitat County, Washington Roadside attractions in Washington (state) Stonehenge replicas and derivatives Tourist attractions in Klickitat County, Washington