So. Picture Stonehenge. You know what stonehenge looks like, right? That ancient thing in England? Big stone slabs arranged in kind of a circular pattern aligned to the path of the sun? So picture that in your mind. Got it? Ok, good. Now replace all the stone slabs with cars. Yes, cars. You heard me. Weird image, right?
Well, what if I told you that image was real? Yes, my children, someone really did recreate Stonehenge in western Nebraska. With cars. Instead of stones.
Seriously.
And it's called Carhenge.
Well, what if I told you that image was real? Yes, my children, someone really did recreate Stonehenge in western Nebraska. With cars. Instead of stones.
Seriously.
And it's called Carhenge.
Carhenge is located right on Highway 87, just a few miles north of Alliance, Nebraska. And it looks like this:
Looks a lot like the real Stonehenge, don't you think?
But....... how? ...... WHY????
Good questions. I'm glad you asked. It all started with a man named Jim Reinders, whose father, Herman, lived on the land that is now occupied by Carhenge. Reinders spent some time in England earlier in his life, and actually studied Stonehenge while he was there. In 1982, his father died, and afterwards, the family got together and discussed the idea of building a memorial to him on his Nebraska farm. They eventually settled on the idea of building a replica of Stonehenge. As you do. They all agreed to come back in 5 years to start building.
And so, in 1987, 35 members of the Reinders family gathered on Herman's old farm, where Jim led them in the construction of what would soon become Carhenge. They had a bit of a battle with the City Council at first. Reports came in to the Alliance police department that someone had been planting cars in a field north of town. The City Council soon ordered Reinders to tear it down. A meeting was called to discuss the monument, and a great many friends, neighbors, and other Alliance citizens showed up to support Reinders and his monument. The City Council was forced to back down, and Carhenge was saved from destruction. It was completed in time to have its grand opening dedication on the Summer Solstice of 1987.
Carhenge was constructed to have the same size, dimensions, and arrangement of the real Stonehenge. The cars here have the same placement and orientations as the slabs of stone at Stonehenge. So many of the cars are planted in the ground horizontally, vertically, and at various other angles. Pits were dig to secure the cars that stand vertically, and the cars sitting atop them have been welded securely into place. Many cars are also lying on the ground, half buried at odd angles, to recreate the many stones at Stonehenge that have toppled to the ground in the thousands of years since its original construction. The cars have even been painted gray so they more closely resemble stones.
But....... how? ...... WHY????
Good questions. I'm glad you asked. It all started with a man named Jim Reinders, whose father, Herman, lived on the land that is now occupied by Carhenge. Reinders spent some time in England earlier in his life, and actually studied Stonehenge while he was there. In 1982, his father died, and afterwards, the family got together and discussed the idea of building a memorial to him on his Nebraska farm. They eventually settled on the idea of building a replica of Stonehenge. As you do. They all agreed to come back in 5 years to start building.
And so, in 1987, 35 members of the Reinders family gathered on Herman's old farm, where Jim led them in the construction of what would soon become Carhenge. They had a bit of a battle with the City Council at first. Reports came in to the Alliance police department that someone had been planting cars in a field north of town. The City Council soon ordered Reinders to tear it down. A meeting was called to discuss the monument, and a great many friends, neighbors, and other Alliance citizens showed up to support Reinders and his monument. The City Council was forced to back down, and Carhenge was saved from destruction. It was completed in time to have its grand opening dedication on the Summer Solstice of 1987.
Carhenge was constructed to have the same size, dimensions, and arrangement of the real Stonehenge. The cars here have the same placement and orientations as the slabs of stone at Stonehenge. So many of the cars are planted in the ground horizontally, vertically, and at various other angles. Pits were dig to secure the cars that stand vertically, and the cars sitting atop them have been welded securely into place. Many cars are also lying on the ground, half buried at odd angles, to recreate the many stones at Stonehenge that have toppled to the ground in the thousands of years since its original construction. The cars have even been painted gray so they more closely resemble stones.
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You will also find a few other smaller sculptures on the grounds, all also made from cars or car parts. Such as these whimsical Dino and Spawning Salmon sculptures:
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And in tribute to Nebraska's pioneer heritage, this Carnastoga Wagon. Har har.
This place deserves its title as the #2 Wackiest Attraction in America. It lost the #1 spot on that list to a toilet seat museum. The world is certainly a strange and fascinating place.
Carhenge's official website here.
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