Stonehenge Memorial

If you could take just one photo: Stonehenge Memorial

See Stonehenge for an afternoon without leaving the country in Maryhill Washington. This almost identical replica was built in 1918 by railroad man Sam Hill as a WWI memorial, but the stones under your feet are made of concrete instead of prehistoric rock. Part of Hill's nearby Maryhill Museum, the monument was initially central to the town of Maryhill, though it now stands solitary on the rocks above the Colombia River as the town burned down soon after construction (current population is back up to 98). Pick up some fresh peaches and apples from nearby fruit stands in summer, come at sunset and bring a telescope, this cliff-side oasis is a great place for stargazing as well as historical imagineering.

Add a Comment

You don’t have to cross an ocean to see Stonehenge. A full-scale replica of England’s famous ruins sits high atop Maryhill bluff on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. Although the original Stonehenge is shrouded in mystery, the builder of this reproduction, Samuel Hill, didn’t keep secret his reason for constructing the impressive concrete monolith—it was built to honor soldiers from Klickitat County, Washington who served in WWI. In fact, when completed in 1929, Maryhill’s Stonehenge was the first monument in the country that specifically honored men who served in that war. No soldiers are buried here, but it is the location of Sam Hill’s own gravesite. Mr. Hill also built and paid for the first paved road in the Pacific Northwest—the 3.6 mile-long historic Maryhill Loops Road that winds up to Stonehenge. Read more...

Add a Comment