Bamahenge facts for kids
Imagine a giant, mysterious stone circle like Stonehenge in England, but made of fiberglass and hidden in the woods of Alabama! That's exactly what Bamahenge is. It's a full-size copy of the famous ancient monument. You can find it at Barber Marina near Josephine, Alabama. An artist named Mark Cline created it for the marina's owner, George W. Barber.
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The Story Behind Bamahenge
The idea for Bamahenge came from a rich businessman named George W. Barber. He loves unique art. In 1991, Mr. Barber asked an artist named Mark Cline to make seven life-size dinosaur sculptures. These dinosaurs became "lawn ornaments" on one of his properties.
How Bamahenge Came to Be
Years later, in 2006, Mark Cline was fixing some hurricane damage on the dinosaur sculptures. Mr. Barber, who knew about another Stonehenge replica Cline had made, asked him to build a new one. This new replica was planned for his Vintage Motorsports Museum.
However, by the time Mark Cline started the project in 2012, Mr. Barber had moved some of his dinosaurs. He decided to put the new Stonehenge replica at Barber Marina instead. It was placed in the woods, just north of where the dinosaurs were. The name "Fiberhenge" was thought of for a short time. But Mark Cline felt "Bamahenge" sounded much better!
How Bamahenge Was Built
Bamahenge is a full-size copy of the real Stonehenge. It stands about 21 feet (6.4 m) tall. It measures 104 feet (32 m) across. Just like the original, Bamahenge is lined up with the sun. On the summer solstice, the sun rises right over the center of three special "stones."
Clever Construction and Design
Even though it looks like Stonehenge, Bamahenge is not an exact copy. It's made from only four different shapes of fiberglass "stones." These pieces are arranged in many ways to look like the original. The smaller pieces were designed to fit inside the larger ones. This made it easier to transport them from Mark Cline's studio in Virginia to Alabama. It took four large trucks to move all the parts!
Protecting Bamahenge from Storms
Bamahenge is located very close to the Gulf of Mexico. This area often experiences strong tropical storms and hurricanes. To keep the artwork safe from high winds, each "stone" is strongly anchored. A wooden pole goes 8 feet (2.4 m) up into each "stone." The same length of pole goes deep underground. The bottom part of each "stone" and the pit around the pole are then filled with concrete. This makes Bamahenge very sturdy!
Visiting Bamahenge
Bamahenge is easy to find. It's about 200 yards (180 m) west of the main road that leads to Barber Marina. There's a small parking area. From there, a path leads you right to the monument.
While it's closest to the small community of Josephine, Bamahenge is often linked to the larger town of Elberta, Alabama.
See also
In Spanish: Bamahenge para niños
