Historic Hood River: Roadbuilding at Maryhill

Comment by Charlott, August 2, 2018

...the St. James Hotel sat where Stonehenge is now. When he decided to build Stonehenge he moved it back and renamed it Meadowlark Inn. If you go up there now you will see a medium sized bush. That bush sat in Clara and Lucy's English garden.

"This concrete replica of Stonehenge sits on a once-lovely rocky bluff above the riverside orchards of Maryhill... The replica was built by Sam Hill as a monument to Klickitat County soldiers lost in WWI and a plaque details the inspiration and history. For most folks Stonehenge is just a quick look-see at a quirky oddity, but if you're the Curious type, you should definitely get the cheapo $5 Stonehenge book in the [Maryhill] Museum gift shop. Ernest Piini's book brings to life both this Stonehenge and that other less-famous one over in the UK."

"In addition to the museum at Maryhill, Sam Hill had begun to construct a replica of Stonehenge that was finally completed in 1930. It was built as a memorial to Klickitat County soldiers who lost their lives in World War I."

"Hill intended the Stonehenge replica to express that modern warfare (like Druid sacrifices as he understood them) was a form of needless human sacrifice."

Paula Becker, Altar stone of Stonehenge replica built to memorialize World War I soldiers is dedicated at Maryhill on July 4, 1918

On July 4, 1918, the altar stone of what will be a reinforced-concrete replica of England's ancient Stonehenge is dedicated at Maryhill ... The completed monument was dedicated on May 30, 1929...

...

The inscription on the altar stone read "To the memory of the soldiers and sailors of Klickitat County who gave their lives in defense of their country ... in the hope that others inspired by the example of their valor and their heroism may share in that love of liberty and burn with that fire of patriotism which death alone can quench" (Goldendale Sentinel, July 11, 1918).

Restoration

"In 1995, the Klickitat County War Memorial Project Committee raised $37,500 to refurbish the memorial, repairing the effects of wind and weather. The altar stone and columns were capped and patched, loose concrete and rusting rebar were removed, graffiti was scrubbed off, and a permanent weather coating was applied. A new memorial honoring Klickitat County residents who died in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War was constructed nearby. The new memorial and the refurbished Stonehenge were dedicated on August 22, 1995."

Links

HistoryLink.org Essay 7809: Altar stone of Stonehenge replica built to memorialize World War I soldiers is dedicated at Maryhill on July 4, 1918

http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&File_Id=7809

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