Forevertron facts for kids
Dr. Evermor's Forevertron is a giant sculpture made from old metal parts. It's so big, it stands 50 feet (15.2 meters) tall and 120 feet (36.5 meters) wide! That's like a five-story building and a football field combined. It weighs a massive 300 tons, which is heavier than 50 elephants! You can find this amazing artwork in Dr. Evermor's Art Park in Sumpter, Wisconsin, USA.
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Discovering the Forevertron
This incredible sculpture was built in the 1980s. It's made from all sorts of interesting pieces. Imagine finding parts from old machines and even a piece of space history! The Forevertron includes two old electric generators from the 1880s, which were made by the famous inventor Thomas Edison. It also has lightning rods and big parts from power plants built in the 1920s.
Even cooler, the Forevertron uses scrap metal from a nearby old army ammunition plant. And get this: it even has a special chamber from the Apollo 11 spacecraft! Apollo 11 was the mission that first landed humans on the Moon. All these different parts come together to create one of the most unique sculptures in the world.
The Story Behind the Sculpture
The person who created the Forevertron was Tom Every (1938 - 2020). He was born in Brooklyn, Wisconsin. Tom used to work as a demolition expert, which means he was really good at taking apart old buildings and structures. This job helped him collect lots of antique machinery over many years. He saved these pieces specifically to build the Forevertron and create a fun story around it.
According to Tom Every, the Forevertron was designed by a fictional inventor named Dr. Evermor. This Dr. Evermor was a Victorian-era inventor, meaning he lived during the time of Queen Victoria (the late 1800s). The story goes that Dr. Evermor built the Forevertron to launch himself "into the heavens on a magnetic lightning force beam." Even though the Forevertron is huge and heavy, it was actually designed to be moved! It's built in sections that are connected by bolts and pins, so it could be taken apart and put back together somewhere else.
Exploring Dr. Evermor's Art Park
The Forevertron isn't the only amazing thing to see in Dr. Evermor's Art Park. The park is filled with many other sculptures, and some of them are connected to the Forevertron's story. For example, there's a small building called a "tea house gazebo." Tom Every said that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (her husband) could watch Dr. Evermor's launch from there. There's also a giant telescope for anyone who might doubt the launch!
Other Fantastic Creations
The park is home to many other large and interesting sculptures. You can find giant insects like the "Juicer Bug" and "Arachna Artie." There's also the "Epicurean," which is a barbecue train powered by bellows, and "The Dragon," and "The UFO."
One of the most popular parts of the park is the "Bird Band and Orchestra." This collection includes almost 70 bird sculptures! Some are the size of a small child, while others are twenty feet tall. All of these birds are made from recycled industrial parts, old survey markers, knives, loudspeakers, springs, and even musical instruments. It's like a whole orchestra made of junk!
Tom Every was very proud that he used the original materials as much as possible. He liked to put old parts together in new ways to create his art. Even though Tom Every has passed away, you can still visit the art park. You usually enter through a store called Delaney's Surplus, which is right next to the park. Tom Every also created many of the amazing art installations for another famous Wisconsin attraction, the House on the Rock, including the world's largest carousel there.
