The "stones" are made of plaster-covered steel, and plans are in the offing to stabilize the monument by filling its hollow pillars with cement. For the moment, however, this is the only Stonehenge that rings when you tap it. When Al Shepperd died in 1994, he had is ashes scattered at the site.

Foamhenge: Natural Bridge, Va.
The award for fastest Stonehenge ever erected has to go to Mark Cline of Natural Bridge, Va., who set up most of his replica, "Foamhenge," in a single day. It's a lot easier to carve styrofoam than rock.

Foamhenge is also one of the most photogenic Stonehenges in the world, set on a bluff amid the pretty Blue Ridge Mountains. It's a remarkably realistic replica. Cline, who is a fiberglass artist -- his specialty is dinosaurs -- took 16-foot-tall blocks of styrofoam, carved them into the shapes of the original megaliths, spray-painted them gray, then drove them a mile down Hwy 11 in his pickup truck to the Foamhenge site.

Cline's first attempt, which he admits was made of "inferior foam," blew down after three months. Since then he has found a better supplier, and Foamhenge is now a permanent attraction, with each block anchored into concrete. "Styrofoam is nonbiodegradeable," Cline notes. "Foamhenge might last longer than the original."

Stonefridge: Santa Fe, N.M.
In contrast to speedy Mark Cline, it took artist Adam Horowitz nine years to erect his all-refrigerator "Stonefridge" on an abandoned landfill in Santa Fe, N. M. This was partly because Horowitz's supply of junk refrigerators was mysteriously bulldozed, twice, by an unappreciative city government (so says Horowitz), and partly because Horowitz saw the construction of his "anti-monument" as art rather than as a task with a deadline. He would dress his crew of volunteers in loincloths, himself in various authoritative costumes, and have the 200-pound fridges hauled into place using only tee pee poles, ropes and pulleys, and human muscle.

roadsideamerica.com Foamhenge, Natural Bridge, Va.

Now complete, the 200+ refrigerators are stacked 18 feet high in an outer circle, facing inward toward a cluster of taller fridge towers. Unlike other Stonehenge replicas, which mimic the astronomical alignment of the original, Stonefridge has "atomic alignment" and faces a more modern source of mysterious power -- Los Alamos National Laboratories, which visitors can see in the distance. Visiting Stonefridge after dark is not recommended. Vandals have reportedly set off bombs inside the refrigerators.

Stonehenges still springing up
And the list goes on. There are still more Stonehenges scattered across the American landscape.

One, which once marked the entrance to hard-times subdivision named "Stone Henge" in Athens, Georgia, was moved in the late 1990s to a safer spot on the outskirts of the city.

A newly erected solar calendar of limestone monoliths has been dubbed "Stonehenge Jr." by the locals of Wichita, Kan.

A half-size Stonehenge at the University of Missouri at Rolla was built to showcase the stone carving capabilities of its High Pressure Water Jet Lab.

Which leads to the latest trend in Stonehenge construction -- private Stonehenges. One recently went up on a private estate in the elite town of Sachem Head, Conn., and another -- reportedly the most accurate Stonehenge replica ever made -- has been built for a wealthy individual at the remote Crystal Lakes Resort in Fortine, Mont. A couple in Nunica, Mich. has a slightly downscaled Stonehenge in their front yard. It can be seen from the road, although no trespassing is allowed.

Visit your local Stonehenge — Sam Hill's Stonehenge, Maryhill, Wash.: Hwy. 14 east of U.S. 97, along the Columbia River. Leave I-84 at Bigg's Junction, cross the Hwy. 97 Sam Hill Memorial Bridge, go uphill to Hwy. 14. Turn right, watch for access road to Stonehenge. — America's Stonehenge, North Salem, N.H.: I-93 exit 3, Hwy. 111 east 5 miles to Haverhill Rd., follow Haverhill south. — The Georgia Guidestones, Nuberg, Ga.: GA 77, 2 miles south of Nuberg. — Carhenge, Alliance, Neb.: Nebraska Route 87, 2 miles north of Alliance. — Stonehenge II, Kerrville, Texas: 15 miles W of Kerrville on FM 1340. — Foamhenge: Natural Bridge, Va.: I-81 exit 180. On a bluff set back from the southbound side of Hwy 11, just south of the Natural Bridge Petting Zoo, one mile north of Natural Bridge. — Stonefridge, Santa Fe, N.M.: On a closed city dump on Paseo Las Vistas, on the NW side of Santa Fe. Take Camino De Las Crucitas off US Routes 285/84 to Paseo Las Vistas -- 1/2 mile past Frank S. Oritz Park. — Stubby Stonehenge, Rolla, Miss.: I-44 exit 186, U.S. 63 south -- less than a mile. — Stonehenge, Odessa, TX: University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

And now -- in what is likely the least enduring approach -- there may be a disposable Stonehenge. Foamhenge creator Mark Cline says that an unnamed organization has approached him to build a life-size Foamhenge in New York City for a private party. It would stand for a week, and then apparently head for the landfill. "I'm trying to work a deal with them so that I can keep the stones," Mark says. "It's the good foam."

Trendy, disposable Stonehenges may come and go, forgotten like so many inflatable monuments. Yet we still hear of lone artisans doing it the right way, their hammers tapping and blowtorches roaring sweet music to the old gods.

Wallace Wallington, a retired carpenter in Lapeer, Mich., has been gamely wrestling with 20,000-lb. concrete blocks in his back yard dream of a Stonehenge. He's only a couple of slabs into the thing, but we admire his spirit, and marvel at the videos on his Web site that show him spinning the monoliths 360 degrees by himself.

When you think about it, a Stonehenge is within reach of anyone with a flat plot of land, a supply of large, blocky things, and an amenable local zoning board. So what's stopping you? You know you want one -- a hulking symbol of mystic power protecting the backyard swing set. Just let us know when you're finished and we’ll add you to the list.

To find out more about unusual tourist attractions, click here.

Roadsideamerica.com is the world's trusted authority on America's oddball and eye-popping tourist attractions. Doug Kirby, Ken Smith, Mike Wilkins humorously and thoroughly document the nation's strangest sights, sharing eyewitness reports, photos and video with millions of offbeat travel aficionados.

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