Carhenge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carhenge is a replica of England's Stonehenge located near the city of Alliance, Nebraska on the High Plains. Instead of being built with large standing stones, as is the case with the original Stonehenge,[1] 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 service the site.
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[edit] Structure
Carhenge consists of 38 automobiles arranged in a circle measuring about 29 metres (95 ft) in diameter. Some are held upright in pits 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) deep, trunk end down, and arches have been formed by welding automobiles atop the supporting models. The heelstone is a 1962 Cadillac. Three cars were buried at Carhenge. Their "gravestone" is a car that reads: "Here lie three bones of foreign cars. They served our purpose while Detroit slept. Now Detroit is awake and America's great!"[2]
Carhenge replicates Stonehenge's current "tumble-down" state, rather than the original stone circle erected between 2500 BC and 2000 BC.
In addition to the Stonehenge replica, the Carhenge site includes several other sculptures created from autos covered with various colors of spray paint.
[edit] History
Carhenge was conceived in 1987 by Jim Reinders as a memorial to his father. While living in England, he studied the structure of Stonehenge, which helped him to copy the structure's shape, proportions, and size. Other automobile sculptures were subsequently added to the location of Carhenge, which is now known as the Car Art Reserve.[3]
Carhenge is used frequently in popular culture, and makes appearances in film, popular music, television programs and commercials.[4] It is the subject of the 2005 documentary Carhenge: Genius or Junk?, and features in the 2007 travel book 1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Archaeoastronomy at Stonehenge". http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMStonehengeD.html.
- ^ "America Unhenged". http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/OVERhenges.html.
- ^ "Carhenge history". http://www.carhenge.com/history.htm.
- ^ For example: Film - Omaha, The Movie (1995); Popular music - Steely Dan (album cover, Remastered, The Best of Steely Dan, 1993); P.O.D. (music video, "Youth of the Nation", 2002); Television - Biker Build-Off; Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (episode: "The Great Train Slobbery"); Commercials - Nissan Pathfinder (2006), Nebraska Cornhuskers football (2007).
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Carhenge |
- Official site
- English Landmark Mysteriously Appears in Western Nebraska, Nebraska State Historical Society
- Carhenge: Genius or Junk? at the Internet Movie Database
Coordinates: 42°08′32″N 102°51′29″W / 42.142293°N 102.857987°W
