June 08, 2021
Cruising through tiny Ingram, Texas, on the way to a river cabin rental over Memorial Day weekend, we spotted something that made us laugh out loud, and then pull over for a closer look. Stonehenge! Or rather, Stonehenge II, the wild-hair creation of two locals with a sense of humor and some time on their hands.
Dreamed up by Al Sheppard and built by his buddy Doug Hill, their plaster Stonehenge originally graced Sheppard’s pasture in nearby Hunt. After Sheppard’s death and the eventual sale of the property, the community rallied to relocate the quirky and beloved structure to the grounds of the Hill Country Arts Foundation, where visits are free and open to the public.
According to an informational sign, Stonehenge II is 90% as wide and 60% as tall as the original. I guess not everything is bigger in Texas.
Not being quite as old as the original 2,500 B.C. monument, it also has all its top lintel “stones” in place. To compare it with the actual Stonehenge, click through to my post from our 2018 trip to England.
For good measure, Sheppard had added two mo’ai replicas after he traveled to Easter Island, and they stand nearby, impassively turned away from the stone circle. What a hoot to happen upon this place and see that it’s not just Austin keeping things weird.
We stayed the weekend in nearby Hunt, in a cabin on the placid Guadalupe River. We kayaked and swam in the cool, green water lined with towering bald cypresses. Our children used to attend summer camp in Hunt, and it was fun to return and play in the river as a family.
What a beautiful, peaceful place.
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Digging Deeper: News and Upcoming Events
Want to learn how to grow vegetables in Central Texas? Attend a free webinar on June 15 hosted by the Travis County Master Gardeners Assoc. My friend Sheryl Williams is teaching it, and she says “We’ll cover the whole process from planning to harvesting, with plenty of war stories from my own garden.” Sign up here.
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