England has Stonehenge. Virginia has Foamhenge — a life-sized replica built entirely from styrofoam by artist Mark Cline. The idea struck him in 1998 when he spotted 16-foot-tall foam blocks at a local insulation manufacturer. Six years later, on April Fool's Day 2004, Foamhenge opened at Natural Bridge, Virginia, as a roadside attraction designed to lure tourists.
Cline assembled the entire structure in about ten days, beating Stonehenge's 1,000-year construction timeline. Each foam "stone" weighs 420 pounds, reinforced with 2.5-inch metal piping that extends from concrete footings to the top of each piece. The faux stones match Stonehenge's dimensions and astronomical coordinates exactly. When Foamhenge relocated to Cox Farms in Centreville in 2017, astronomer Harold Geller from George Mason University helped position the stones to align with the summer solstice, just like the original.
After 12 years of exposure to Virginia weather, the foam deteriorated badly. Many pieces were split apart and required temporary supports. When Natural Bridge became a state park in 2016, Foamhenge closed and was dismantled. Cline received over 50 inquiries from across the country about relocating it. After repairs and repainting, the monument found a permanent home at Cox Farms, where it reopened in September 2017.
See also: The amazing acoustics of Stonehenge
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