« The PC(USA) and Church Property, Part 12 | Home | Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling »
Only in England . . . and Texas!
By Mark D. Roberts | Saturday, October 4, 2008
Even those who have never made the trek to the English countryside outside of Salisbury will recognize Stonehenge. It is one of the world’s most famous historical sites. Scholars aren’t exactly sure what motivated the people who built Stonehenge. It was certainly a burial ground of some sort. But was it more than just a graveyard? Perhaps a dwelling for departed spirits? Or a place for miraculous healing? Or pagan worship? Or ???? The purpose of Stonehenge remains a mystery.
Texas offers its own Stonehenge mystery. Several months ago I was driving through the Hill Country outside of San Antonio on FM 1340 (Farm Road). All of a sudden, a couple miles west of Hunt, I found myself looking at Stonehenge, or at least something very much like it. What was this? I wondered.
No, Stonehenge II (as it’s called) was not created by aliens or Druids or Hill Country pagans looking for a place to worship. It was built by two men, largely for fun. You can read the story at their website. It all began when Doug Hill had an extra block of limestone after building a patio. He gave it to his friend, Al Shepperd, who stood it on end in the middle of his field. Soon Hill and Shepherd added to the stone, turning it into an arch. Then Shepperd, who had visited the original Stonehenge, became inspired. Soon he and Hill were producing giant “stones” made of metal and plaster. Nine months later, Stonehenge II was finished. I’ll bet the neighbors are glad that Al Shepperd hadn’t visited the Great Wall of China or the Great Pyramid of Giza!
So, if you can’t make it to England to see the real Stonehenge, come visit us in Texas and see Stonehenge II. Besides, it’s only 82.5 miles away from the Alamo, Alamo I, that is.
Topics: Only in Texas |
4 Responses to “Only in England . . . and Texas!”
Comments
Thanks for your willingness to make a comment. Note: I do not moderate comments before they are posted, though they are automatically screened for profanities, spam, etc., and sometimes the screening program holds comments for moderation even though they're not offensive. I encourage open dialogue and serious disagreement, and am always willing to learn from my mistakes. I will not delete comments unless they are extraordinarily rude or irrelevant to the topic at hand. You do need to login in order to make a comment, because this cuts down on spam. You are free to use a nickname if you wish. Finally, I will eventually read all comments, but I don't have the time to respond to them on a consistent basis because I've got a few other demands on my time, like my "day job," my family, sleep, etc.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
October 4th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Rev. Roberts, Thanks again for another light-hearted feature & photo of Texas. WE have our own “wonder of the world” right here in our own backyard!! Thanks again for the pc series. AS long as there are people & churches, It’ll be mighty challenging to aim for perfection. WE really appreciate all of your series to gain new perspectives on these perplexing issues. Thanks Again( I think Thank you are my famous last words-Ha!) Have a great blessed week-end & Love & Prayers to Your Family Love, Falconers’
October 4th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Mark-
Some years ago, while traveling through Nebraska after a family reunion, we came across “Carhenge” in Alliance, Nebraska. The website is: http://www.carhenge.com/
Here are some pictures:
http://www.carhenge.com/images/klocko1.jpg
http://www.carhenge.com/images/behlmann1.jpg
Carhenge began at a family reunion, probably a reunion gone awry with a little too much imbibing of adult beverages. It was fun, though. Thanks for your posts.
October 5th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Jim S.: Oh my! That’s even better. Maybe I should start a “Only in Nebraska” series. Thanks for sharing those links.
October 6th, 2008 at 10:03 am
When you say Alamo I, you are more correct than you realize. If you want to see the Alamo as it looked at the time of the Battle of the Alamo, then make the short (by Texas standards) trip to Brackettville to see the actual movie set from the John Wayne classic “The Alamo”.
http://thealamovillage.homestead.com/AlamoVillage.html
For another Alamo closer to your work, try the main dining room of Mamacita’s Restaurant in Kerrville. Davy Crockett will serenade you really!) with the violin from on top of a 2/3 scale recreated Alamo inside the restaurant.
sorry - no decent link to Mamacita’s Alamo, but don’t miss their beautiful Texas murals some of which can be seen here: http://www.lmcmurals.com/portfolio.htm
But, while we are on the topic of the Alamo, its original purpose was as a mission of the Catholic Church. As such, it was just one of a number of missions in San Antonio and Texas. Around San Antonio are four more surviving missions from the same era that are jointly operated today by the National Park Service, and the Archdiocese of San Antonio. They provide a spectacular glimpse of society and religion of Texas from 250 years ago. You must go see them when you have some time.
http://www.lsjunction.com/facts/missions.htm